A  King's  Favourite 

Madame  Du  Barry 


AUD   SAINT-ANDRE 


A 

KING'S 

FAVOURITE 


//  /  /  // 
<7 


::A  KING'S:: 
FAVOURITE 

MADAME  DU  BARRY 

AND  HER  TIMES  FROM  HITHERTO 
UNPUBLISHED  DOCUMENTS  BY 
CLAUD  !SAINT-ANDRE  WITH  AN 
INTRODUCTION  BY  PIERRE  DE 
NOLHAC  AND  17  ILLUSTRATIONS 


NEW   YORK 

McBRIDE,   NAST   &    COMPANY 
1915 


INTRODUCTION 

OMANCE  is  only  history  in  miniature;  history  is 
the  true  romance  carried  to  the  highest  point  of 
development."  To  no  history  is  this  saying  of 
M.  Paul  Bourget  more  applicable  than  to  that 
of  the  times  of  Madame  Du  Barry.  The  story  of  her  life, 
merely  the  outline  of  her  career — her  origin,  rise  to  favour, 
disgrace  and  death — surpasses  in  interest  the  whole  romantic 
biography  of  womanhood  ;  but  to  be  of  full  value  such  an 
account  must  above  all  be  truthful  and  free  from  the  arts 
of  the  romancer. 

Until  recently  the  memory  of  this  fair  transgressor  has 
been  marked  chiefly  by  its  lack  of  truth.  Apart  from  the 
equal  right  of  all  historical  personalities  to  justice  of  treat- 
ment, it  is  a  matter  of  importance  to  have  exact  knowledge 
of  their  character  and  the  part  they  played,  the  more  so 
when  the  judgment  pronounced  on  them  is  used  to  condemn 
a  sovereign,  a  reign,  or  even  a  whole  century. 

The  celebrated  book  of  the  Goncourts,  for  instance, 
puerile  and  false  as  it  is,  has  long  been  held  authoritative : 
"  The  people  must  lose  their  faith  and  their  illusions  when 
they  hear  of  the  exploits  of  this  girl,  as  for  instance  when, 
excited  by  champagne,  she  breaks  the  windows  of  the 
(Eil-de-Boeuf  .  .  .  Madame  Du  Barry  is  mischievous 
like  the  courtesan  she  is,  who  pursues  her  calling  and  obeys 
her  instincts.  .  .  .  Involuntarily  by  her  very  nature 
she  brings  into  discredit  all  that  comes  into  contact  with 
her.  Whether  she  forces  Zamore  to  stick  his  fingers  in  the 
chancellor's  wig,  now  the  home  of  cockchafers,  or  whether, 
clothed  in  her  shift  and  with  bare  throat,  she  makes  the 
nuncio  of  the  Pope  present  her  with  her  slippers,  she  always 
plays  her  part,  that  of  mocking,  debasing  and  lowering 


vi  INTRODUCTION 

to  her  own  standard,  all  institutions,  traditions,  and  persons. 
.  .  ."  These  are  but  ridiculous  anecdotes,  the  stupidities 
of  pamphleteers,  which  have  no  other  merit  than  the 
literary  one  of  the  glowing  style  of  a  Michelet.  To  take 
them  seriously  one  would  have  to  be  ignorant  of  the  whole 
life  of  the  court  in  eighteenth  century  France,  and  one's 
judgment  could  only  be  at  the  mercy  of  rhetorical  libellers. 

The  obscene  legend  that  has  grown  up  around  Madame 
Du  Barry  is  the  combined  work  of  the  parliamentary  party 
and  Choiseul.  It  has  been  further  popularised  by  writers, 
at  all  times  sure  of  a  public,  who,  under  the  hypocritical 
pretext  of  vindicating  morality,  have  taken  pleasure  in 
scandalmongering.  Their  tales  have  been  received  with 
an  unwholesome  eagerness,  without  much  regard  for  the 
truth.  Nor  is  it  on  the  ground  of  morals  alone  that  our 
century  fills  its  academic  text-books  with  a  proper  indigna- 
tion ;  the  truth  has  been  held  back  from  us  by  the  friends 
of  Choiseul  during  a  great  part  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XV. 
Clever  and  elegantly  malicious,  they  always  held  the  front 
of  the  stage.  They  have  written  so  much  and  lied  so 
wittily  that  we  are  ready  to  believe  them  in  all  things. 
Whose  judgment  has  not  involuntarily  been  coloured  by 
their  rancour,  which  of  us  has  not  spoken  of  their  adver- 
saries in  the  contemptuous  tones  of  Chanteloup  ? 

The  fairest  evidence  relating  to  Madame  Du  Barry's 
life  is  to  be  got  from  those  who  had  no  reason  to  be  biassed 
against  her,  who  simply  watched  the  career  of  one  of  their 
contemporaries.  This  evidence  is  in  every  case  far  from 
disparaging,  and  does  homage  to  more  than  her  incontestable 
beauty. 

S6nac  de  Meilhan,  who  witnessed  the  end  of  her  career, 
passed  a  by  no  means  severe  judgment  on  her  character : 
"  The  most  important  events  which  took  place  during  her 
time  of  power  made  no  more  impression  than  the  images 
thrown  on  a  screen  by  a  magic  lantern.  She  had  taken  no 
part  in  them,  and  they  left  only  a  confused  memory.  After 
the  Revolution  she  distinguished  herself  by  her  marked 
generosity  to  those  in  danger  of  becoming  its  victims. 


Vll 

Finally,  this  woman,  whom  nothing  had  protected  from 
vice  in  her  youth,  and  who  had  been  led  away  by  poverty 
and  evil  counsel,  had  done  no  one  hi  jury  when  her  power  of 
inflicting  wrong  was  unlimited.  Such  moderation,  remark- 
able in  one  in  her  position,  gives  her  the  right  to  lenient 
treatment  from  the  most  severe  of  judges." 

The  Count  d'Espinchal,  who  knew  her  before  her  rise 
to  power,  and  who  was  later  one  of  her  intimate  friends, 
describes  in  a  few  words  the  lady  of  Louveciennes :  "  She 
is  good  and  generous,  an  agreeable  companion,  the  best  of 
friends,  most  charitable  and  always  ready  to  do  a  kindness. 
Both  at  home  and  in  public  she  bears  herself  with  becoming 
decency,  giving  the  lie  to  the  gross  slanders  calumny  has 
delighted  in  spreading  since  the  growth  of  her  power." 
The  Marquis  de  Bouill6  adds  some  further  traits  to  this 
description  :  "  Her  disposition  was  in  no  sense  common, 
much  less  vulgar  ;  though  without  pretensions  to  brilliance, 
she  had  more  wit  than  people  gave  her  credit  for ;  besides, 
her  kindliness  no  less  than  her  simplicity  might  have  been 
sufficient  compensation." 

The  Prince  de  Ligne,  who  was  a  friend  of  hers  from  the 
first,  defends  Louis  XV.'s  last  weakness  :  "I  have  seen  him 
every  day  with  Madame  Du  Barry  during  the  last  year  of 
his  hfe.  It  is  astounding  that  those  who  were  themselves 
no  better  should  cry  out  at  his  wickedness ;  that  the  vile 
courtiers  of  Madame  de  Pompadour,  a  little  nobody  who 
ran  away  from  her  husband,  should  exclaim  against  the 
corruption  of  morals  which  allowed  yet  another  mistress 
and  that  a  woman  of  much  better  feeling,  who  did  not 
attempt  to  settle  questions  of  war  and  peace." 

Even  the  malice  of  the  Prince  de  Talleyrand  has  spared 
her,  for  he  put  her  for  style  and  language  above  Madame 
de  Pompadour.  The  latter,  he  says,  "  differs  in  all  respects 
from  Madame  Du  Barry,  who,  though  less  wall  educated, 
had  attained  a  certain  purity  of  language.  Madame  Du 
Barry's  eyes  were  not  so  large,  but  were  more  expressive, 
her  features  were  well-cut,  her  hair  of  great  beauty ;  she 
liked  talking,  and  cpuld  tell  a  story  pleasantly  enough." 


viii  INTRODUCTION 

We  find,  then,  in  serious  contemporary  records  no  foundation 
for  the  charge  of  grossness  of  language,  with  which  some 
have  attempted  to  soil  her  pretty  lips.  As  for  her  manners, 
they  were  perfect  from  the  beginning.  "  She  is  very 
beautiful,  especially  the  lower  part  of  her  face,"  observes 
the  Duke  de  Croy,  "  her  bearing  is  very  noble,  easy,  charming 
and  unpretentious,  in  a  word  that  of  a  gentlewoman." 
"  I  was  astonished,"  says  M.  de  Belleval,  "  considering 
that  she  was  not  brought  up  at  court,  to  see  how  she  had 
acquired  the  well-bred  manners  of  the  ladies  there."  This 
"  very  noble  bearing,"  which  enhanced  to  the  end  of  her  life 
her  irreproachable  beauty,  had  already  been  noticed  by 
M.  de  Sartine's  inspectors  when,  for  the  first  time,  they 
saw  her  appear  at  the  Opera,  the  mistress  of  Jean  Du 
Barry. 

She  was  well-informed,  and  had  read  much.  "  Her 
conversation,"  according  to  d'Espinchal,  "  is  interesting, 
and  since  her  retirement  reading  has,  next  to  her  toilette, 
been  her  chief  occupation."  He  adds  that  she  was  not 
endowed  with  "  wit  "  in  the  eighteenth  century  sense  of  the 
word,  but  on  the  other  hand,  she  had  the  art  of  telling  a 
story  and,  among  her  intimate  friends  (for  "  she  knew  her 
world  "),  even  of  falling  into  frivolities  seldom  heard  at 
Versailles.  Her  talk,  which  was  so  much  enjoyed  by  her 
friends,  was  delightful.  From  the  first  moment  she  fasci- 
nated. "  Her  wide,  blue  eyes,"  relates  M.  de  Belleval, 
"  were  fixed  with  engaging  frankness  on  him  to  whom  she 
spoke,  as  if  she  would  read  in  his  face  the  effect  of  her  words. 
She  had  a  straight  little  nose,  a  very  small  mouth  and  a 
complexion  of  dazzling  purity.  In  a  word,  one  soon  yielded 
to  her  charm.  .  .  ." 

Her  good-nature  was  the  distinctive  feature  of  her 
character.  "  Madame  Du  Barry,"  says  Belleval,  "  was 
kind-hearted,  and  loved  to  oblige.  She  never  bore  malice, 
and  was  the  first  to  laugh  at  all  the  rhymes  made  about 
her."  All  the  records  agree  on  this  point,  not  to  speak 
of  the  letters  of  all  her  friends,  who  were  enthusiastic 
admirers  of  this  goodness.  4  You  are  privileged  by  nature," 


INTRODUCTION  ix 

says  one  ;  "  goodness  and  beauty  will  be  yours  all  your 
life  long." 

One  need  see  her  but  once  to  divine  this  striking  quality 
which  no  disillusion  could  embitter.  "  When  I  recalled  her 
sweet  and  gracious  smile,"  says  Brissot,  who  spoke  to  her 
one  day  in  Voltaire's  ante-chamber,  "  I  felt  more  lenient 
towards  the  favourite."  And  this  member  of  the  National 
Convention  goes  on  to  tell  of  a  conversation  on  the  mistresses 
of  Louis  XV.  held  between  Mirabeau,  Laclos,  Henriette 
de  Nehra  and  himself.  As  was  right  and  proper,  these 
virtuous  souls  condemned  the  weakness  and  infamy  of  the 
monarch.  "  But,"  adds  Brissot,  "  I  laughingly  besought 
some  indulgence  for  the  Du  Barry,  who,  though  also  vile, 
was  to  my  mind  a  hundred  times  less  odious  than  her  rivals. 
After  all,  she  had  no  more  in  common  with  them  than 
an  influence  which  she  did  not  despotically  abuse,  and 
morals  which  I  scarcely  thought  culpable.  '  You  are  right,' 
said  Mirabeau ;  .  .  .  '  she  never  issued  lettres  de 
cachets  against  those  who  slandered  her  virtue.' '  And 
they  recognised  that  "  the  dishonour  of  this  woman  was 
due  to  her  birth  and  upbringing,  and  to  those  who  debased 
her." 

Laclos  and  Mirabeau  have  together  published  the  portrait 
of  Elmire,  a  portrait  of  which  no  single  feature,  whether 
moral  or  physical,  told  against  her,  and  which  extolled 
her  at  the  expense  of  Madame  de  Pompadour.  "  Nature 
had  endowed  Elmire  with  more  various  grace  than  is  often 
united  in  a  single  person.  .  .  .  The  eye,  charmed  by  the 
expression  of  her  face,  found  the  same  attraction  in  her 
graceful  bearing,  her  perfect  figure,  her  rounded  arms, 
her  beautiful  hands.  .  .  .  Elmire  crossed  a  gulf  when 
she  left  her  humble  roof  for  the  palace  of  a  king,  but  she 
filled  her  new  position  without  effort.  .  .  .  [She]  was 
not  puffed  up  with  pride,  nor  did  she  humble  those  whom 
she  might  have  disowned.  .  .  .  Elmire,  wiser  than 
her  predecessor,  took  no  notice  of  the  scandalous  biographies 
and  the  fictitious  or  falsified  letters,  which  were  so  assidu- 
ously circulated.  Malice  deceived  itself,  for  Elmire  did  not 

A 


x  INTRODUCTION 

lose  the  heart  of  her  lover  or  the  affection  of  her  friends. 
.  .  .  Elmire  will  have  no  cause  to  fear  the  judgment 
of  posterity." 

Thus  moralists,  courtiers  and  revolutionaries  alike  have 
all  given  a  sympathetic  portrait  of  Madame  Du  Barry. 

M.  Claude  Saint-Andr6  has  brought  before  us  in  this 
brilliant  and  valuable  book  more  than  the  conventional 
portrait  of  a  courtesan  ;  he  has  delineated  the  character 
of  a  woman.  For  the  first  time  we  see  Madame  Du  Barry 
live,  an  actual  personality  of  incontestable  charm.  The 
author  has  reconciled  seemingly  contradictory  qualities 
by  his  conscientious  historical  research.  Nothing  has  been 
hidden  :  the  origin  of  the  royal  mistress  and  the  culpable 
intrigues  by  which  she  attained  so  high  a  position  ;  her 
readiness  to  accept  the  low  standard  of  morality  so  prevalent 
among  many  of  the  women  of  her  time.  Yet  the  part  she 
played  is  explained  without  prejudice  and  with  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  the  period.  Friend  and  foe  alike  have  been 
minutely  interrogated,  and  if  one  may  here  and  there 
suspect  the  young  writer  of  some  weakness  for  his  heroine, 
it  is  because  he  has  that  gift  of  sympathy  without  which 
one  may  not  hope  to  gain  true  insight  into  a  man's  soul, 
a  precious  gift  to  him  who  would  study  the  personalities 
of  the  past. 

By  his  skilful  exposition  of  the  facts  he  has  verified, 
and  by  his  attention  to  the  evidence  of  witnesses,  many 
of  whom  were  unknown  or  forgotten,  he  has  been  able  to 
deal  fairly  by  the  base  legends  that  have  gathered  round 
Madame  Du  Barry.  On  the  other  hand,  he  gives  with 
exactness  the  list  of  the  liaisons  of  this  woman,  whom  the 
unfortunate  circumstances  of  her  life  devoted  to  a  career 
of  pleasure.  Despite  the  elegance  with  which  she  sinned, 
she  is  to  be  pitied  for  having  been  taught  by  that  terrible 
master  of  depravity,  the  "  Roue"."  Her  d6but  at  Versailles 
was  a  scandal,  but  it  appears  to  have  violated  the  rules  of 
etiquette  rather  than  those  of  morality.  If  there  are  degrees 
in  vice,  Louis  XV.  had  certainly  plumbed  lower  depths, 
while  the  adultery  was  only  on  one  side  as  the  Queen  was 


INTRODUCTION  xi 

dead  ;  for  the  matter  of  that  the  marriage  contract  did  not 
count  for  much.  Such  history  must  be  lightly  dealt  with, 
and  though  we  should  be  careful  not  to  absolve  what  ought 
to  be  condemned,  we  must  not  forget,  in  the  words  of 
Merimee,  that  "  the  same  actions  are  differently  valued 
at  different  times." 

The  contemporaries  of  the  King  were  not  as  sensitive 
as  we  to  certain  egregious  violations  of  morality  on  his  part. 
Thus  the  clerical  party,  blinded  by  their  hatred  of  Choiseul, 
accepted  a  favourite,  "  since  there  had  to  be  one,"  provided 
she  had  no  ideas  on  philosophy.  There  have  been  tales 
of  the  levity  of  certain  ecclesiastics,  on  hearing  of  Madame 
Du  Barry's  long-desired  presentation,  in  which  they  chose 
to  see  the  triumph  of  Esther  over  the  persecutor  of  the 
Hebrews.  At  that  period,  too,  a  priest  of  the  Cevennes 
wrote  to  one  of  his  fellow-clergy :  "  M.  de  La  Beaumelle 
enjoys  now  the  protection  of  the  King's  mistress ;  he  is 
going  to  Paris  .  .  .  and  if  he  can  be  of  any  service  to  us, 
especially  to  us  priests,  he  certainly  will." 

Seeing  that  the  nominal  defenders  of  public  morality 
were  so  complaisant,  why  should  it  be  surprising  that  the 
courtesan  world  censured  Louis  XV.  merely  for  this  further 
weakness,  calculated  only  to  grieve  his  daughters  and  fill 
them  with  anxiety  for  his  welfare  ?  The  king  knew  quite 
well  that  he  would  have  been  forgiven  soon  enough  for  a 
Duchess  de  Grammont,  or  some  such  great  lady.  He  wrote 
to  his  minister  :  "  They  would  all  be  at  her  feet  if  .  .  ." 
and  his  reticence  was  significant.  Again  :  "  Do  they  want 
me  to  take  a  girl  of  quality  ?  "  he  said.  In  fact,  the  severest 
cannot  but  recognise  that  his  well-bred  depravity,  accom- 
panied as  it  was  by  all  the  graces  of  the  period,  was  much 
less  repellent  than  the  intemperate  life  of  so  many  monarchs 
of  the  age. 

By  all  means  let  us  condemn  our  sovereigns  for  the  follies 
they  have  committed  ;  but  do  not  let  us  spread  further 
this  false  image  of  the  French  court  as  one  devoid  of  all 
dignity  and  modesty,  when  on  closer  observation  we  may 
find  in  it  so  many  examples  of  virtue,  honour  and  noble 


Xll 


INTRODUCTION 


devotion  to  duty.  As  far  as  possible  we  must  rehabilitate 
the  reign  of  Louis  XV.,  of  which  the  shortcomings  alone 
have  attracted  attention.  The  achievements  of  the  France 
of  that  day  were  not  confined  to  the  world  of  letters.  The 
nation  often  enjoyed  the  services  of  an  admirable  staff  of 
ministers,  generals  and  provincial  governors.  The  abuses 
ascribed  to  this  century  apply  to  all  periods,  and  there 
would  be  little  difficulty  in  finding  them  in  our  own.  But 
this  reign  was  so  long  that  the  glories  of  Fontenoy  were 
dimmed  by  the  miseries  of  its  end,  a  tragedy  which  leaves 
much  the  deeper  impression  on  the  mind. 

In  future,  Madame  Du  Barry  should  be  less  of  a  shameful 
memory  to  our  time.  Even  if  she  is  to  be  blamed  for  much 
foolish  expenditure,  we  must  remember  that  it  encouraged 
the  arts,  of  which,  indeed,  she  was  a  noteworthy  patron  ; 
many  a  masterpiece  in  our  possession  owes  its  existence 
to  her  commands.  By  no  means  one  of  the  lesser  merits 
of  this  book  is  the  fresh  light  it  throws  on  her  active  and 
well-directed  personal  interest  in  art,  kept  up  according 
to  her  means  even  after  her  disgrace.  Indeed,  had  she 
been  longer  at  Versailles,  the  titles  so  often  given  to  Madame 
de  Pompadour  might  well  have  been  assigned  to  her. 

In  his  study  of  Madame  Du  Barry  during  the  Revolution, 
the  young  historian  has  attacked  a  difficult  problem,  which 
none  of  his  predecessors  has  solved.  The  Goncourts,  whose 
interest  was  confined  to  the  woman  of  pleasure,  lost  them- 
selves among  papers  taken  at  random  from  the  Archives 
without  discovering  those  of  most  importance.  The 
conscientious  Vatel,  indignant  at  their  levity,  corrected 
many  inaccuracies  and  used  a  number  of  original  documents, 
but  was  himself  occasionally  liable  to  mistake.  His  obvious 
intention  was  to  prove  Madame  Du  Barry's  innocence 
of  all  the  charges  which  brought  her  to  the  scaffold,  and 
the  end  of  his  work,  which  he  was  unable  to  revise,  is  only  a 
medley  of  unclassified  material.  Much  elucidation  had 
still  to  be  done,  requiring  many  new  sources  of  information. 

In  the  first  place,  the  author  has  established  that  Madame 
Du  Barry,  interested  as  she  was  in  politics  through  her 


INTRODUCTION  xiii 

relations  with  M.  de  Brissac,  did  not  remain  inactive  during 
the  last  tragic  years  of  the  monarchy.  From  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolution  she  placed  her  fortune  at  the  disposal 
of  the  royal  family,  and  a  sale  of  some  of  her  diamonds, 
which  took  place  in  Holland  at  the  end  of  1789,  was  probably 
connected  with  this  offer.  We  cannot  doubt  her  liberality 
if  we  read  a  letter  from  the  Count  d'Espinchal,  which 
confirms  and  particularises  the  evidence  of  Senac  de  Meilhan. 
Introduced  into  the  nobility  of  France  and  enriched  by 
the  king  to  the  displeasure  of  all,  the  Countess  was  yet  able 
to  fulfil  with  great  generosity  those  obligations  to  the 
descendants  of  Louis  XV.,  which  most  others  in  her  place 
would  have  neglected. 

Happy  in  her  retirement  and  her  luxury,  this  still 
beautiful  and  beloved  woman  appears  to  have  sacrificed 
all  to  what  she  considered  to  be  her  duty  ;  urged  by  events 
which  appealed  to  her  goodness  of  heart,  and  guided  by 
partisans  who  could  make  use  of  her  good-nature,  she  and 
her  riches  cannot  have  failed  to  perform  signal  service  to 
the  counter-revolution.  In  this  respect  there  was  un- 
doubtedly justification  for  the  denunciations  which  were 
poured  on  her,  and  for  the  attacks  of  her  enemy,  the  citizen 
Greive  ;  the  Tribune  of  the  Revolution,  so  blindly  prodigal 
of  innocent  blood,  certainly  struck  down  a  genuine  con- 
spirator in  Madame  Du  Barry. 

Too  little  is  known  of  the  secret  movements  of  Nathaniel 
Parker  Forth,  the  English  agent  who  was  involved  in  our 
revolutionary  troubles,  and  who  was  mentioned  both  in 
contemporary  pamphlets  and  diplomatic  correspondence 
as  being  charged  with  important  missions.  It  was  he  who 
by  a  singular  coincidence  became  the  controlling  influence 
of  Madame  Du  Barry's  life  after  the  theft  of  her  diamonds 
at  Louveciennes.  This  theft,  committed  by  English  sub- 
jects on  the  night  of  January  10,  1791,  and  accompanied 
by  suspicious  circumstances  in  the  household  of  the  Countess, 
was  thought  later  by  many  to  have  been  engineered  by  Forth 
himself.  The  matter  can  be  explained  more  simply  ;  but 
it  formed  an  excellent  opportunity  for  those  who  had 


INTRODUCTION 

an  interest  in  providing  some  devoted  person  with  a  plausible 
excuse  for  leaving  France.  From  this  point  of  view,  they 
could  benefit  exceedingly  by  the  lawsuit  which  took  place 
in  London,  and  there  is  no  reason  why  they  should  not  have 
played  some  such  game,  since  it  imperilled  none  but  the 
Countess. 

In  order  to  identify  and  lay  claim  to  her  jewels,  and  to 
give  evidence  in  an  interminable  lawsuit  which  can  scarcely 
have  required  her  constant  presence,  Madame  Du  Barry 
made  four  journeys  to  England,  of  which  the  last  took  place 
at  the  most  dangerous  time  of  the  Revolution,  when  the 
severest  decrees  were  issued  against  the  emigres.  The 
need  for  maintaining  her  private  interests  abroad  made  it 
possible  for  her  to  ask  for  passports  without  arousing 
over-much  suspicion,  and  by  this  means  she  was  able  to  do 
for  her  friends  all  kinds  of  services  as  the  bearer  of  corre- 
spondence and  money.  The  evidence  brought  before  the 
revolutionary  jury,  and  the  information  added  to  it  by  her 
new  historian,  show  clearly  enough  how  she  occupied  her 
visits  to  London,  and  whom  she  saw  there.  As  was  natural 
she  renewed  her  acquaintance  with  former  friends  ;  but 
more  than  that,  she  threw  herself  heart  and  soul  into  the 
activities  of  the  emigres  among  the  English  aristocracy, 
which  had  given  her  such  an  unexpectedly  warm  welcome. 
In  passing  it  may  be  mentioned  that  her  conduct  was 
irreproachable,  which  is  more  than  can  be  said  for  all  the 
fair  emigrees.  Her  salon  was  one  of  the  centres  of  attrac- 
tion of  that  pleasure-loving  world,  which  only  such  terrible 
blows  as  the  death  of  Louis  XVI.  could  awaken  from  its 
foolish  infatuation.  The  murder  of  the  Duke  de  Brissac 
had  made  Madame  Du  Barry  one  of  the  earliest  sufferers, 
and  gave  her  from  the  first  a  more  serious  view  of  the 
situation,  while  the  evidence  of  Bouille  is  sufficient  to  prove 
the  sincerity  of  her  mourning  for  the  king. 

We  shall  probably  never  know  whether  her  opportunities 
of  travel  and  her  position  in  English  society  were  any  help 
to  the  princes  to  whom  she  was  so  devoted.  But  her 
relations  with  the  members  of  the  English  Government, 


INTRODUCTION  xv 

who  were  the  most  hated  adversaries  of  the  French  revolu- 
tionaries, are  at  least  evidence  of  grave  indiscretion.  The 
Countess  did  not  realise  that  she  was  followed  and  spied  on, 
and  that  gatherings,  which  were  without  doubt  chiefly 
devoted  to  worldly  pleasures,  were  destined  to  form  the 
subjects  of  an  overwhelming  and  fatal  charge  against  her. 
The  intercourse  of  Madame  Du  Barry  with  the  emigres, 
her  "  newsbearing,"  which  was  then  a  breach  of  the  law, 
were  so  open  that  it  is  surprising  she  could  have  enjoyed 
complete  immunity  for  so  long.  It  explains  the  indignation 
of  such  savage  accusers  as  Greive  and  Blache,  who,  made 
keen-eyed  by  hatred,  guessed  that  the  lady  of  Louveciennes 
had  faithful  supporters  even  in  the  administration.  They 
knew  full  well  that  chateau  which  figured  among  the 
"  aristocratic  haunts "  on  the  banks  of  the  Seine,  and 
their  indignation  was  excited  by  the  quantity  of  treasure 
accumulated  there  by  "  the  courtesan  of  despots."  It  was 
not  merely  that  she  corresponded  abroad,  that  she  was 
the  keeper  of  hidden  stores  of  money,  that  she  cherished 
the  forbidden  emblems  of  royalty  and  the  counter-revolu- 
tionary publications.  More  than  that,  she  received  a 
number  of  "  suspects,"  many  of  them  notorious,  and  after 
the  beginning  of  the  Terror,  "  conspiracies  "  went  on  daily 
in  her  charming  retreat ;  there  all  the  "  ci-devants  "  were 
welcomed  by  their  still  beautiful  hostess,  a  woman  whom 
one  would  have  thought  had  no  care  but  to  please.  If  we 
knew  the  hidden  actions  of  the  Duke  de  Rohan-Chabot, 
who  was  Madame  Du  Barry's  last  lover,  we  should  no  doubt 
be  able  to  justify  what  was  the  essential  point  of  the  trial 
of  Frimaire,  year  II.,  namely  the  speech  of  Fouquier- 
Tinville.  However  that  be,  it  is  certain  that  the  Public 
Prosecutor  condemned  to  death  hundreds  of  women  less 
"  guilty  "  than  citizeness  Du  Barry. 

This  book,  vividly  written  yet  without  extravagance, 
puts  the  last  and  most  significant  touches  to  the  character 
it  portrays.  There  will  be  no  further  surprise  at  the  "  sis- 
terly "  intimacy,  to  use  their  own  words,  between  Madame 
Du  Barry  and  the  Duchess  de  Mortemart,  the  daughter 


xvi  INTRODUCTION 

of  M.  de  Brissac.  It  will  be  possible  to  understand  how  it 
was  that  the  Countess,  for  the  sake  of  this  new  friendship 
born  of  a  sacred  memory,  did  not  hesitate  to  risk  her  life 
by  her  last  return  to  France  ;  and  it  will  be  vain  to  seek 
in  the  cross-examination  at  her  trial  signs  of  the  panic  in 
which  she  was  supposed  to  have  betrayed  names  and 
secrets,  that  according  to  popular  belief  brought  many 
victims  to  the  scaffold.  Not  even  the  Princess  Lubomirska 
herself  was  compromised  by  the  accused,  who  only  men- 
tioned her  because  a  note  seized  at  Louveciennes  was  signed 
in  full ;  besides,  how  could  she  imagine  that  her  innocent 
correspondence  would  cost  the  unfortunate  Polish  Princess 
her  life  ?  As  for  the  last  moments  of  Madame  Du  Barry, 
does  not  her  sacrifice  of  her  life  for  her  beliefs  and  her 
friends  make  pardonable  her  weakness  before  the  guillotine, 
a  nervous  collapse  which  in  another  would  not  have  been 
considered  blameworthy. 

The  Revolution  laid  bare  the  souls  of  many  whose  true 
selves  had  been  hidden  by  their  easy  life,  and  in  this  time 
of  stress  Madame  Du  Barry  showed  qualities  that  are 
irreconcilable  with  the  supposed  degradation  of  her  youth. 
In  her  last  days  Fate  brought  her  into  contact  with  another 
famous  woman,  imprisoned  at  the  same  time  as  she  at  Sainte- 
Pelagie.  But  Madame  Roland  no  doubt  averted  her  eyes 
from  her  fellow-prisoner,  who  was  no  more  to  her  than  a 
vile  creature,  the  dissolute  favourite  of  a  detested  king. 
It  would  have  surprised  the  valiant  Girondine  if  she  had  been 
told  that  this  despised  courtesan  had  shown  in  her  time 
disinterestedness,  devotion  and  self-sacrifice,  that  she,  too, 
had  served  her  party  with  courage,  and  that  the  friend 
of  Buzot  might  well  look  without  contempt  on  the  friend 
of  Brissae. 

PIERRE  DE  NOLHAC. 
Chateau  de  Versailles. 


PREFACE 

IN  this  book  I  have  attempted  to  throw  fresh  light 
on  the  character  of  Madame  Du  Barry  and  the 
times  in  which  she  lived.  I  must  proclaim  my 
indebtedness  to  the  researches  of  my  predecessor,  Charles 
Vatel,  which  have  been  of  great  use  to  me.  He  was 
the  first  to  react  against  the  pamphleteers  who  had 
previously  formed  the  historian's  only  source  of  inspiration. 
But  the  special  circumstances  under  which  he  completed 
his  work  were  not  favourable  to  an  accurate  portrayal  of 
the  image  of  whose  true  features  he  had  caught  a  glimpse. 
Vatel  is  far  from  having  exhausted  the  archives  from  which 
he  has  drawn  his  material,  and  which  still  contained  many 
interesting  surprises.  It  has  further  been  found  necessary 
to  verify  the  originals  of  the  extracts  printed  by  his  editor, 
and  those  which  I  have  reproduced  are  now  given  more 
correctly.  Numerous  recent  publications  have  given  me 
very  useful  help. 

The  originals  of  the  texts,  which  I  have  mentioned  or 
quoted  in  full  in  the  present  work,  are  to  be  found  among 
the  "  National  Archives,"  among  those  of  the  Ministry  of 
Foreign  Affairs  and  the  De'partement  of  Seine-et-Oise,  and 
in  various  private  collections.  I  have  made  use  of  the 
manuscript  memoirs  of  the  Count  d'Espinchal,  and  of  the 
letters  which  have  only  recently  been  attributed  to  him. 
Numerous  extracts  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  papers  may 
also  be  found  in  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale,  to  which  so  far 
little  reference  has  been  made.  I  mention  in  the  course 

xvii 


xviii  PREFACE 

of  the  book  those  who  have  been  so  kind  as  to  give  me 
information  on  the  subject ;  but  I  owe  an  especial  debt  of 
gratitude  to  M.  Pierre  de  Nolhac,  who  has  allowed  me 
access  to  the  unpublished  documents  of  the  Versailles 
Library,  and  who  has  done  me  the  great  honour  of  presenting 
this  book  to  the  public. 

C.  S.-A. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

INTRODUCTION  v 

PREFACE xvii 

CHAPTER    I 

JEANNE   BlECU-QUANTIGNY 

The  Presentation  of  the  Countess  Du  Barry — Her  Parentage 

Jeanne  Becu-Quantigny — At  the  Convent  of  Sainte- 

Aure — The  Hair-dresser  Lametz — Jeanne  as  Lady's 
Companion — As  Milliner — Jean  Du  Barry  and  Jeanne 
de  Vaubernier — The  "  Roue  "  and  his  Circle — Jeanne  at 
Versailles — The  King's  Mistress — Her  Marriage  with 
Guillaume  du  Barry  .......  i 

CHAPTER    II 

JEANNE   AT    COURT 

Pamphlets  against  the  New  Favourite — Hostility  of  the 
Choiseuls — Animosity  of  "  Mesdames  " — The  "  Barriens  " 
— The  Presentation — The  Gift  of  the  Chateau  of  Louve- 
ciennes — The  Favourite's  increasing  Influence — The 
Salon  of  the  Louvre  in  1769 — The  Marriage  of  the 
Dauphin  .........  26 

CHAPTER    III 

THE   FAVOURITE  AND   THE   MINISTERS 

The  Breton  Parliament — Madame  Du  Barry  and  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon — The  Chancellor  Maupeou  and  the  Parlia- 
ments— Disgrace  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul — Gustavus  III. 
— The  Dauphine  and  the  Favourite — Marriage  of  the 
Count  de  Provence — The  Duke  d'Aiguillon  appointed 
to  the  Ministry — The  Salon  of  1771 — Choiseul  made 
to  resign  his  position  as  Colonel  of  the  Swiss  Regiment 
— Generous  Intervention  of  Madame  Du  Barry  .  .  71 

CHAPTER    IV 

THE   ALL-POWERFUL   FAVOURITE 

Projected  Marriage  of  the  King  to  the  Favourite — The  Parti- 
tion of  Poland — Maria  Theresa's  Fears — Reconciliation 

xix 


xx  CONTENTS 

PAGB 

of  Marie  Antoinette  and  Madame  du  Barry — Gustavus 
III.'s  coup  d'Stat — Marriages  of  the  Viscount  and  the 
Chevalier  Du  Barry — The  Salon  of  1773 — Marriage  of 
the  Count  d'Artois — Final  Intrigues — Illness  and  Death 
of  Louis  XV 118 

CHAPTER    V 

MADAME  DU  BARRY  AND  THE  ARTS 

Madame  Du  Barry  as  a  Patron  of  the  Arts — The  "  Du  Barry  " 
Style — Her  Rooms  at  Versailles — The  Furniture — 
How  the  Favourite  passed  the  Day — Her  Household — 
Her  Luxury — Building  of  the  Villa  at  Louveciennes — 
The  Bronzes  by  Gouthi£re — The  Chateau  of  Louveciennes 
— The  Art  Collections — Purchase  of  the  Binet  Villa  and 
the  building  of  an  H6tel  at  Versailles — The  Favourite 
and  the  Administration  of  the  Privy  Purse  .  .  .174 

CHAPTER    VI 

IN    DISGRACE 

Imprisoned  in  the  Abbey  of  Pont-aux-Dames — In  Exile  at 
the  Chateau  of  Saint-Vrain — Return  to  Louveciennes 
— Visit  of  the  Emperor  Joseph  II. — The  Duke  Hercule- 
Timoleon  de  Cosse-Brissac — Henry  Seymour — The 
Queen's  Necklace — Madame  Du  Barry  and  her  Friends — 
Madame  Le  Brun  at  Louveciennes  ....  204 

CHAPTER    VII 

MADAME   DU    BARRY   AND   THE   REVOLUTION 

Madame  du  Barry  and  Politics  again — Louveciennes  at  the 
time  of  the  States-General — In  October — The  Theft  of  the 
Jewels — First  Journey  to  London — Connection  with  the 
6tnigr6s  and  English  society — Second  and  third  Journeys 
— Imprisonment  and  Death  of  the  Duke  de  Brissac  .  .  240 

CHAPTER    VIII 

THE   LAST   DAYS   OF  A    FAIR   CONSPIRATOR 

Madame  Du  Barry's  fourth  Journey  to  London — Her  new  Con- 
nections among  the  Emigres — Her  Return  to  Louveciennes 
— The  Duke  de  Rohan-Chabot's  Love — The  Accusations 
of  Citizen  Greive — First  Arrest  of  Madame  Du  Barry — 
Second  Arrest — The  Prison  of  Sainte-Pelagie — "  Charges 
against  the  Du  Barry" — The  Trial — The  Sentence — The 
Guillotine .........  280 

INDEX  .  329 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Madame  Du  Barry  .         .     Photogravure  Frontispiece 

From  a  hitherto  unpublished  miniature  by  N.  Laureince. 

FACE  PAGE 

Louis  XV.    ........         32 

Engraved  by  Bonnet  from  a  painting  by  Vanloo. 

Madame  Du  Barry        ......         54 

From  a  painting  by  F.  H.  Drouais. 

Madame  Du  Barry        ......        76 

From  a  bust  in  biscuit  de  Sevres  by  J.  B.  Lemoyne. 

Gustavus  III.  of  Sweden        .....        92 
Madame  Du  Barry        ......       104 

From  a  miniature  by  Hall. 

Marie  Antoinette  .         .         .         .         .         .         .118 

Voltaire 136 

The  Count  d'Artois        ......       160 

Engraved  by  P.  Audinet  from  a  painting  by  H.  Danloux. 

Madame  Du  Barry         ......       178 

From  a  painting  by  J.-B.-A.  Gauthier-Dagoty. 

A  Royal  Supper  Party  at  Louveciennes     .         .         .       188 

From  a  drawing  by  Moreau  the  younger. 

Madame  Du  Barry 198 

From  a  bust  in  terra-cotta  by  J.  J.  Cameri. 

xxi 


xxii  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PACE    PAGE 

The  Pavilion  of  Louveciennes         ....       222 

From  an  engraving  by  Nattes. 

Madame  Vig£e  Le  Brun         .....       236 
Madame  Du  Barry        ......       248 

From  a  painting  by  Madame  Le  Brun. 

Madame  Du  Barry 266 

From  a  miniature  by  Cosway. 

Louis  XVI 286 

From  a  painting  by  Callet. 


A 

KING'S 

FAVOURITE 


A    KING'S     FAVOURITE 


CHAPTER   I 

JEANNE  BE"CU-QUANTIGNY 

The  Presentation  of  the  Countess  Du  Barry — Her  Parentage — 
Jeanne  Becu-Quantigny — At  the  Convent  of  Sainte-Aure— - 
The  Hairdresser  Lametz — Jeanne  as  Lady's  Companion — As 
Milliner' — Jean  Du  Barry  and  Jeanne  de  Vaubernier — The 
"  Roue  "  and  his  Circle— Jeanne  at  Versailles — The  King's 
Mistress — Her  Marriage  with  Guillaume  Du  Barry. 

ONE  evening  at  Versailles,  after  the  "  debotte,"  Louis 
XV.  was  pacing  restlessly  up  and  down  the  King's 
Chamber  among  the  gorgeous  crowd  of  his  retinue, 
surprised  at  being  kept  waiting.    His  left  arm  was 
in  a  sling,  having  recently  been  injured  in  a  fall  when 
riding ;   he  was  pale,  and  showed  a  slight  tendency  to  the 
portly,  the  result  of  his  years,  but  a  supreme  elegance 
marked  him  out  from  among  his  brilliant  courtiers. 

A  low  murmur  rose  from  the  inquisitive  crowd  that  had 
collected  below  the  windows  of  the  Chateau.  It  grew  late, 
and  Richelieu,  the  First  Lord-in-Waiting,  gazed  eagerly 
into  the  darkness  of  the  Cour  de  Marbre.  Choiseul  himself 
was  absent,  but  his  supporters  were  radiant,  feeling  sure 
that  Madame  Du  Barry  would  not  be  presented  after  all. 
Soon,  however,  a  smart  equipage  bearing  the  double  escut- 
cheon of  a  married  woman  appeared  and  stopped  at  the 
grand  staircase.  The  usher  opened  the  doors  and  Richelieu 
triumphantly  announced  the  favourite,  who  entered  pre- 
ceded by  her  sponsor,  the  Countess  de  Beam.  At  the 
dazzling  apparition  the  King  started,  his  eyes  under  their 
heavy  eyelids  lighting  up  with  joy.  The  sight  of  this  grace- 


2  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

ful  woman  bending  before  him  seemed  to  justify  his  love. 
When  she  rose  after  the  three  "  reverences  d'adieu,"  kicking 
back  her  long  train  with  accustomed  ease,  even  her  enemies 
gave  way  to  admiration  and  did  homage  to  the  power  of 
beauty. 

On  this  occasion,  too,  she  had  enhanced  her  attraction 
by  choosing  the  most  marvellous  of  costumes.  Madame 
Du  Barry  loved  to  set  off  her  fair  and  slender  form  with 
sumptuous  white  fabrics  of  diaphanous  texture ;  on  her 
presentation  dress  were  scattered,  in  a  mad  profusion  of 
knots,  clusters  and  garlands,  diamonds  which  the  King  had 
sent  her  the  previous  evening.  More  diamonds  were  on 
her  little  high-heeled  slippers,  and  again  in  the  elaborate 
coiffure  whose  intricacies  had  delayed  the  ceremony.  The 
etiquette  of  the  period  had  compelled  her  to  powder  her 
lovely  golden  hair  and  to  rouge  her  already  beautiful  com- 
plexion ;  but  such  artifices  served  only  to  deepen  the  blue 
of  her  long,  caressing  eyes,  half  closed  in  lazy  coquetry,  and 
to  make  doubly  attractive  her  delicate  features  and  her 
mutinous  lips,  parted  in  a  mocking  smile  at  the  envious 
and  malicious. 

She  seemed  to  leave  a  luminous  trail  in  the  salons  and 
staircases  where  an  open-mouthed  crowd  had  come  to  gaze 
at  her.  Serene  and  proud  at  having  been  chosen  from 
among  all  by  His  Majesty,  she  passed  on  and  paid  her  diffi- 
cult visit  to  Mesdames  de  France  and  Monseigneur  le 
Dauphin  without  a  hint  of  awkwardness.  The  latter  was 
so  astounded  at  her  audacity  that  he  wrote  in  his  hunting- 
diary,  in  which  he  noted  only  the  most  memorable  events  : 
"  April  22,  1769.  Presentation  of  Madame  Du  Barry." 

That  night,  while  messengers  were  already  hastening  to 
the  courts  of  Europe  to  announce  the  news  of  her  presenta- 
tion, worn  out  with  emotion,  and  happy  in  having  attained 
at  last  the  glory  she  so  much  desired,  the  favourite  fell  asleep 
to  dream,  perhaps,  of  her  humble  childhood,  and  of  the 
long  and  difficult  path  that  she  had  had  to  traverse  to  reach 
the  Royal  Palace.  Had  she  wished,  she  could  not  forget 
her  lowly  origin,  for  the  satirists  and  pamphleteers  of  the 


ANGE  3 

day  made  it  their  business  to  remind  her  of  it.  From  this 
her  moment  of  triumph  her  enemies  assailed  her  with  that 
i8th  century  weapon,  the  lampoon,  and  no  one  has  been 
the  victim  of  more  scurrilous  calumnies  than  she.  These  took 
the  form  of  rhymed  couplets,  sometimes  witty,  sometimes 
merely  coarse,  and  were  heard  everywhere, — hi  the  streets, 
in  the  salons  of  the  capital  and  in  the  antechambers  of 
Versailles. 

She  was  born  in  the  little  town  of  Vaucouleurs  in  the 
diocese  of  Toul.  Her  baptism  is  registered  as  follows  : — 

Jeanne,  natural  daughter  of  Anne  Becu,  surnamed 
Quantigny,  was  born  on  the  nineteenth  of  August,  seventeen- 
hundred-and-forty-three,  and  was  baptised  the  same  day, 
having  for  godfather  Joseph  Demange  and  for  godmother 
Jeanne  Birabin,  who  have  signed  with  us. 

L.  Gabon,  curate  of  Vaucouleurs. 

Joseph  Demange,  Jeanne  Birabin.1 

According  to  local  tradition  the  father  of  the  child  was 
no  other  than  a  monk  of  the  monastery  of  the  "  Picpus," 
where  Anne,  the  fair  sempstress,  had  work.  His  name  was 
Jean  Baptiste  Gomard  de  Vaubernier,  but  he  was  known 
in  the  monastery  as  "  frere  Ange,"  and  for  a  long  time  the 
little  girl  who  was  supposed  to  be  his  daughter  was  called 
"  1'Ange."  Later  she  became  Mademoiselle  Lange,  then 
Mademoiselle  de  Vaubernier,  and  on  the  occasion  of  her 
marriage  with  Guillaume  Du  Barry  the  monk  represented 
her  family. 

But  though  her  origin  was  so  humble,  little  Jeanne  was 
not  forgotten  by  the  good  fairy  of  the  fairy-tales,  who  waved 
her  wand  over  her  cradle  and  promised  her  the  magic  gift 
of  beauty.  It  was  indeed  a  safe  promise,  for  her  grand- 
father, Fabien  Becu,  keeper  of  an  eating-house  in  Paris, 
was  one  of  the  most  handsome  men  of  his  time,  and  had 
seduced  and  married  a  Countess  de  Montdidier,  a  de  Cantigny. 
This  accounts  for  the  noble  name  of  Cantini,  taken  by 

1  The  facsimile  of  this  extract  is  given  by  Vatel,  Histoire  de  Madame 
Du  Barry,  who  took  it  from  the  register  of  births  during  1743  in 
Vaucouleurs.  Anne  Becu  was  born  at  Vaucouleurs  in  1713. 


4  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Jeanne's  uncle,  a  footman  in  the  service  of  Leopold  de 
Lorraine  and  of  Stanislas  Leczinski,  and  also  by  her  aunt, 
"  the  beautiful  Helene."  Her  mother,  too,  was  a  most 
attractive  woman. 

In  1747,  at  the  age  of  34,  Anne  gave  birth  to  a  second 
child,  Claude,  a  natural  son,  and  she  then  decided  to  leave 
Vaucouleurs,  undoubtedly  acting  on  the  advice  of  M. 
Billard-Dumouceaux,  the  paymaster  of  the  Hotel  de  Ville 
of  Paris.  As  he  was  also  in  the  Commissariat  Department 
of  the  Army,  his  work  took  him  to  the  garrison  town,  and 
he  cannot  have  failed  to  notice  the  beautiful  sempstress. 
She  found  several  relations  in  the  capital  and  even  at  Ver- 
sailles, all  good  people  of  whom  history  has  nothing  to  tell 
but  their  modest  position,  whether  as  priests  or  shop- 
keepers, artisans  or  domestics.  In  1749  Anne  married  in 
the  church  of  Saint-Eustache  a  Sieur  Nicolas  Ranc.on,  for 
whom  Dumouceaux  obtained  from  the  Farmer-General's 
Department  a  sinecure  of  a  post  as  storekeeper.  Though  he 
had  already  a  titled  mistress,  the  famous  Francesca,  he  con- 
tinued to  protect  the  young  couple  after  the  marriage,  but 
such  a  trifle  would  not  disturb  a  philosophic  husband  of  the 
age.  Was  not  gallant  Farmer-General  Tournehem  the  best 
friend  of  Monsieur  Poisson,  although  he  lived  openly  with 
Madame  de  Pompadour's  mother  ?  Principles  and  preju- 
dices have  changed  since  then,  when  an  easiness  of  morals 
was  frankly  displayed  which  offends  against  modern  stand- 
ards. Yet  we  must  bear  in  mind  that  we  are  comparing 
our  own  times  with  a  century  that  delighted  in  making  the 
worst  of  its  own  vices  and  foibles. 

The  pretty  child  was  for  some  years  the  joy  of  Francesca 
and  Dumouceaux.  But  her  education  had  to  be  thought  of, 
and  she  was  sent  to  a  convent,  probably  on  the  advice  of 
Canon  Becu  or  of  the  Abbe  Becu,  both  her  relations,  or  even 
of  Gomard  himself,  now  the  priest  of  Saint-Eustache.1 
Throughout  her  adventurous  life  she  remembered  the  peace- 

1  The  Radons  probably  numbered  several  ecclesiastics  among 
their  acquaintances.  Chamfort  relates  how  "  the  Abbe  Arnaud 
had  held  on  his  knee  the  little  girl  who  was  later  to  become  Madame 


CHILDHOOD   AT   SAINTE-AURE  5 

ful  years  she  spent  in  the  cloister,  when  she  was  the  little 
white  daughter  of  the  Ladies  of  Sainte-Aure,  worshippers 
of  the  Sacred  Heart.  She  had  to  wear  a  coarse  black  veil, 
a  band  of  cloth  around  her  brow  and  the  plainest  of  chem- 
isettes ;  her  frock  was  of  white  serge,  and  rough  yellow  shoes 
completed  the  uniform  of  the  boarders.  The  regulations  of 
this  pious  retreat  were  exceedingly  strict,  and  no  murmurs 
from  outside  were  allowed  to  penetrate  its  walls.  Thus  it 
differed  widely  from  the  more  worldly  convents  of  the  tune. 
Those  of  Penthemont  and  la  Presentation,  for  instance, 
allowed  much  latitude  in  the  matter  of  dress,  and  on  certain 
days  their  parlours  were  turned  into  salons,  with  all  the  salon's 
chatter,  vanities  and  affectations.  But  although  life  at 
Sainte-Aure  was  severe  and  monotonous,  joyous  youth  held 
its  own,  and  Jeanne  was  even  then  the  laughing  child  she 
remained  all  her  life  long. 

After  eight  or  nine  years  our  heroine  left  the  convent, 
her  education  finished ;  she  was  well  grounded  in  her  religion, 
her  writing  was  elegant  and  well  formed,  her  spelling 
quite  good,  and  she  had  acquired  more  than  the  elements 
of  music  and  drawing.  Even  if  we  possessed  the  papers  of 
the  now  vanished  community  we  should  probably  find 
nothing  about  little  Jeanne  Rangon,  as  she  was  called. 
But  we  know  that  the  results  of  her  excellent  education 
enabled  the  future  favourite  to  develop,  adorn  and  refine 
a  mind  naturally  sensitive  and  attracted  by  the  world  of 
letters  and  of  art.  Like  Madame  de  Pompadour,  the  brilliant 
pupil  of  the  Ursulmes,  Anne's  daughter  showed  from  the 
day  she  left  the  convent  a  grace  and  charm  which  captivated 
all  hearts,  and  she  was  not  long  in  learning  and  using  her 
power.  The  prayers  of  the  good  sisters  who  loved  her  so 
well  could  not  save  the  soul  of  their  pupil  from  the  snare 
set  in  the  path  of  her  beauty.  More  often  than  not  she  was 
the  victim  of  circumstances,  and  of  her  own  lighthearted, 
impressionable  nature,  which  made  her  so  ready  to  obey 

Du  Barry."  (CEuvres  de  Chamfort,  Paris,  1867.)  This  was  the 
same  talented  Abbe  Arnaud  who  owed  his  election  to  the  Academy 
in  part  to  Madame  Du  Barry's  good  favour. 


6  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

the  call  of  love  and  happiness.  Yet  even  in  the  midst  of  a 
whirl  of  festivities  she  sometimes  remembered  and  with- 
drew awhile  from  the  world,  and  in  her  time  of  fear  and 
trouble  she  used  to  tell  the  beads  of  those  jewelled 
rosaries  that  were  found  at  Louveciennes  with  her  Manuel 
de  Chretien. 

When  she  was  fifteen  Jeanne  returned  to  her  family.  She 
was  ravishingly  beautiful,  with  her  long  fair  hair,  her  clear 
complexion  and  her  convent-bred  air  of  ingenuousness. 
What  could  be  done  with  this  dainty  child,  with  her  refined 
tastes  and  love  of  elegance,  who  watched  with  wonder  as 
the  great  ladies  passed  in  their  gilded  coaches  ?  What  else 
but  let  things  take  their  course  ? 

In  the  house  of  a  friend  Anne  Ran$on  and  her  daughter 
made  the  acquaintance  of  a  young  hairdresser  of  the  name 
of  Lametz.  He  immediately  fell  in  love  with  the  young 
girl  and  offered  to  initiate  her  in  the  mysteries  of  his  craft. 
She  accepted,  and  for  five  months  he  came  and  instructed 
her  in  the  complicated  art  of  dressing  high  coiffures, 
powdered  d  la  marechale,  and  of  arranging  feathers,  flowers 
and  ribbons  with  taste  and  elegance.  Later  this  episode 
gave  rise  to  many  calumnies,  which  can,  however,  easily  be 
refuted  by  referring  to  a  police-court  affair  connected 
with  it. 

Madame  Lametz,  a  milliner,  had  no  doubt  better  things 
in  view  for  her  son  than  a  match  with  the  little  Ranc,on. 
So  she  came  to  rue  Neuve-Saint-£tienne,  in  the  parish  of 
Notre-Dame-Bonne-Nouvelle,  where  Jeanne's  relations 
lived,  and  overwhelmed  them  with  a  storm  of  insults  and 
accusations,  among  which  that  of  procuration  was  one  of 
the  least  outrageous.  Madame  and  Mademoiselle  Ran^on 
indignantly  lodged  a  complaint  at  the  Chatelet  with  the 
police  inspector  of  their  quarter.  Judgment  was  in  their 
favour,  and  Inspector  Charpentier  concluded  his  report  as 
follows :  "As  the  honour  and  reputation  of  the  plaintiffs 
are  liable  to  suffer  from  the  above  attacks  made  publicly 
by  the  said  Dame  Lametz,  which  can  do  them  considerable 
harm,  and  as  they  clearly  have  an  interest  in  obtaining 


EARLY   LOVERS  7 

formal  reparation,  the  said  plaintiffs  have  been  advised  to 
make  the  present  complaint  to  us."  * 

Subsequently  her  enemies  distorted  this  incident,  and  it 
was  made  the  subject  of  many  verses  and  lampoons.  In 
1771  Madame  du  Deffand  sent  the  following  lines  to  Walpole 
as  current  in  the  society  of  Choiseul  after  his  disgrace. 

Je   sais   qu'autrefois   les   laquais 
Ont  ffite  ses  jeunes  attraits, 
Que  les  cochers,  les  perruquiers 
L'aimaient,   1'aimaient   d'amour   extreme, 
Mais  pas  autant  que  je  ne  1'aime  ! 
Avez-vous  vu  ma  Du  Barry  ?    .     .     . 

Jeanne  was  nearly  sixteen,  poor,  beautiful,  and  her 
future  still  uncertain,  when  she  became  companion  to 
Madame  de  Delay  de  la  Garde,  the  widow  of  a  Farmer- 
General.  This  old  lady  had  many  acquaintances  in  the 
opulent  world  of  finance,  and  very  soon  the  girl's  gaiety 
and  pretty  chatter  won  her  a  court  of  indiscreet  admirers. 
With  her  lightheartedness  and  her  love  of  luxury  and  pleas- 
ure, which  had  been  denied  throughout  her  childhood,  she 
could  not  long  be  held  back  by  her  early  scruples.  Both 
the  de  la  Gardes  are  supposed  to  have  been  her  lovers.  The 
elder  had  married  a  Mademoiselle  Duval  d'Epinoy,  and  had 
taken  the  name  of  Saint- Vrain  from  his  wife's  estate,  one 
day  to  be  bought  by  the  banished  favourite.  The  other  was 
the  husband  of  the  notorious  Elizabeth  de  Ligniville,  whom 
in  her  widowhood  the  Chatelet  sentenced  as  insane  for  the 
singularity  of  her  morals.2 

With  a  character  such  as  Jeanne's  the  first  downward 
step  could  not  but  prove  decisive,  and  she  completely  under- 

1  Rancpn's  complaint  of  April  18,  1759,  is  published  by  Vatel. 
This  Lametz  episode  proves  the  exaggeration  of  the  Anecdotes, 
which  always  give  "  for  every  two  lines  of  truth  two  pages  of  lies, 
or  at  least  of  errors."  Cf.  Vatel  on  the  puerile  assertions  of  the 
Goncourts  and  many  others. 

1  Madame  Du  Barry's  association  with  this  woman  has  given  rise 
to  much  slander.  Cf.  the  shameless  misinterpretation  of  simple 
facts  in  Pidansat  de  Mayrobert's  A  necdotes  sur  Madame  la  Comtesse 
Du  Barri,  London,  1777. 


8  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

stood  its  inevitability.  In  the  pride  of  her  splendid  youth 
she  dreamt  of  a  wonderful  future  in  store  for  her,  and  she 
took  what  seemed  the  shortest  way  of  arriving  at  it.  Her 
lovers  were  but  the  rungs  of  the  ladder  that  led  to  fame. 
She  bound  herself  to  none,  only  laughed  and  waited  for  him 
who  would  give  her  at  once  the  luxury  and  the  affection 
which  she  most  certainly  deserved. 

When  Madame  de  la  Garde  noticed  the  conduct  of  her 
companion  she  instantly  dismissed  her.  This  was  in  1760 
or  1761,  when  Jeanne  was  eighteen.  She  had  had  enough 
of  strict  and  careful  supervision.  Accordingly  she  became 
an  assistant  at  the  shop  of  a  milliner,  Labille,  in  rue  Neuve- 
des-Petits-Champs.  This  made  it  possible  for  her  to  keep 
up  appearances,  while  leaving  her  free  to  wear,  without 
•exciting  remark,  the  flounced  dresses  that  emphasised  the 
slenderness  of  her  waist,  and  to  have  her  long  hair  in  ringlets 
under  her  black  hood.  In  the  luxurious  showroom,  with 
its  bowls  of  flowers  and  decorated  windows,  she  moved 
behind  the  counter,  a  supremely  graceful  figure,  shedding 
the  light  of  her  beauty  on  the  wealthy  customers.  These 
were  not  women  only ;  among  them  were  red-heeled  mar- 
quises, great  financiers,  officers  of  the  French  Guards  and 
little  perfumed  abbe's,  who  helped  the  merry  apprentice 
to  measure  out  the  lace  they  had  just  selected. 

Many  a  billet-doux  passed  and  many  an  appointment 
was  made — though,  perhaps,  not  kept,  for  the  strictness  of 
the  master  made  it  difficult  to  get  away.  But  often,  at 
about  five  o'clock,  Jeanne  could  slip  off  to  the  promenade 
of  the  Palais  Royal,  to  watch  and  laugh  at  the  noisy 
courtesan,  the  grisette  in  her  light  lawn  frock,  and  the  lady 
of  quality,  her  cheeks  as  painted  as  the  flowers  on  her  gown. 
From  there  off  to  the  Cafe  Gaussin,  and  then  home  again 
in  a  hurry,  already  fearful  of  the  suspicious  Labille  and  his 
unsparing  reprimands. 

That  their  staff  might  be  always  fresh  and  bright,  the 
employers  had  provided  them  with  a  dormitory  on  the  pre- 
mises, where  they  could  sleep  peacefully.  We  can  see  this 
little  world  of  young  girls  in  one  of  Fragonard's  exquisite 


AT   LABILLE'S  9 

sepia  sketches,1  with  the  charm  of  sweet-and-twenty  in 
all  his  beautiful,  half-robed  figures.  What  gaiety  there  is 
in  their  careless,  happy  faces  ;  we  can  find  Jeanne  in  every 
one  of  these  children  ;  here  she  lies  dreaming  on  one  of  the 
great  white  beds ;  here  she  is  in  a  passion  whipping  a  little 
rogue  whose  frock  is  all  undone ;  and  here  again  she  is  the 
centre  of  a  group  of  slender  forms  delicately  silhouetted 
against  the  light.  And  what  chatter  there  is  in  the  dormi- 
tory. It  is  like  a  bird's  nest,  with  some  telling  stories,  and 
some  confiding  their  hopes  and  fears  in  low  voices  to  their 
bosom  friends,  or  laughing  over  the  day's  doings.  Youth, 
indeed,  is  ever  the  same,  though  the  fashion  of  its  garments 
may  have  changed  and  changed  again. 

But  on  Sundays  all  these  charming  young  girls  were  quite 
free  to  amuse  themselves.  Jeanne  went  off  to  see  her 
mother,2  and  she  wore  her  most  attractive  frocks  on  these 
occasions.  A  spring  day  would  see  her  in  a  fine  ivory- 
coloured  dress  and  a  wide  blue  cloak,  a  gauzy  white  fichu 
crossed  over  her  bare  throat,  and  a  little  flower-trimmed 
hat  perched  on  the  top  of  her  high  coiffure,  shading  her 
beautiful  eyes.  For  she  knew  well  that  she  would  not  be 
alone  where  she  was  going.  She  and  her  companion  went 
to  the  fair  at  Saint-Germain  ;  or  else  to  the  f£te  at  Saint- 
Cloud,  whose  great  trees  and  marbles  and  bubbling  fountains 
have  been  made  so  familiar  to  us  by  the  paintings  of  the 
period.  There  they  listened  to  the  pleasantries  of  Columbine, 
or  joined  the  crowd  of  young  women  who  watched  the  tricks 
of  the  jugglers.  They  paid  a  visit  to  the  puppet-show,  and 
while  the  great  ladies  drove  past  in  their  carriages  they 
were  trying  their  luck  at  the  games  of  chance,  and  laughing 
at  the  sallies  of  powdered  pierrots.  Supper  they  usually  had 

1  A  water-colour  by  Lawreince  supplements  Fragonard's  sketch. 
In  this  part  of  our  history  the  artistic  documents  of  the  period  have 
been  followed,  as  they  have  at  least  the  advantage  of  a  general 
accuracy. 

*  Her  brother  Claude  had,  apparently,  died,  so  that  she  was  now 
her  mother's  only  child.  There  is  no  reference  to  Claude  in  the  life 
of  the  future  Royal  mistress,  and  if  he  had  lived  she  would  surely 
have  bought  him  a  marquisate  as  Madame  de  Pompadour  had  done 
lor  her  "  little  brother." 


io  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

under  the  great  trees  by  the  fountain  ;  or  sometimes  they 
and  their  friends  formed  a  whole  gay  party  and  dined  in  a 
lonely  pavilion.  Then  every  night  in  her  dreams  the  little 
white  bed  and  the  bare  dormitory  would  vanish  and  she 
would  be  transported  to  the  midst  of  rich  and  luxurious 
apartments. 

For  a  long  time  this  life  continued,  and  Jeanne  changed 
nothing  but  her  friends ;  she  was  as  inconstant  as  any 
grisette,  with  the  carelessness  and,  at  the  same  time,  the 
shrewdness  of  a  beautiful  young  girl,  who  knows  her 
value,  and  knows,  too,  how  to  wait  before  binding  herself 
permanently.  In  the  meantime  her  exquisite  beauty,  her 
tenderness  of  heart,  her  spirit  of  mischief  and  of  roguery, 
her  strangely  mingled  levity  and  prudence  won  her  eager 
homage. 

In  Labille's  great  establishment,  with  its  harmonies  of 
rich  colours,  its  marvellous  laces  and  delicate  fabrics,  Jeanne 
was  surrounded  by  lovely  things,  and  her  beauty-loving 
soul  expanded  like  a  flower  under  their  influence.  Near  by 
lived  her  employer's  daughter  Adelaide,  famous  later  on  as 
Madame  Labille-Guiard,  the  artist.  The  two  girls  had  in 
common  their  blonde  beauty  and  their  keen  interest  in  the 
arts ;  even  as  a  child  Mademoiselle  Labille  had  had  the  run  of 
many  a  studio,  enjoying  a  liberty  that  never  overstepped  the 
limits  of  perfect  decorum.1  Jeanne  may  have  worked  with 
Adelaide.  At  any  rate  the  future  academician,  who  early  in 
life  began  to  train  pupils,  must  have  noticed  the  most  gifted 
of  her  father's  employees,  especially  as  Jeanne  had  learnt 
drawing  at  Sainte-Aure.  This  small  talent  of  hers,  and, 
above  all,  her  beauty,  also  attracted  the  attention  of  the 
group  of  artists  who  frequented  the  Labille  studio. 

At  that  time  too,  old  La  Tour  made  the  fresh  little  sketch 
of  her,  a  gentle  face  with  long  blue  eyes,  now  in  the  Museum 
of  Saint-Quentin.  Her  youthful  impressions,  deepened 

1  Baron  Roger  Portalis,  Adelaide  Labille-Guiard,  Paris,  1902. 
Adelaide  Labille,  who  married  in  the  same  year  as  Madame  Du 
Barry,  exhibited  for  the  first  time  in  the  Academy  of  Saint-Luc,  in 
1774- 


OUTRAGEOUS   CALUMNIES  n 

later  by  the  knowledge  she  acquired  from  Jean  Du  Barry, 
that  great  connoisseur  and  collector,  account  for  her  intelli- 
gent patronage  of  artists  when  she  was  the  King's  favourite, 
and  for  the  discrimination  with  which  she  chose  the  most 
perfect  works  of  art  for  her  galleries. 

One  day  Pajou,  who  had  known  her  when  she  was  with 
Labille,  and  Drouais  and  many  others  were  to  vie  with  one 
another  in  immortalising  the  image  of  the  Royal  mistress. 
It  is  surprising  that  Mme.  Labille-Guiard  did  not  follow 
their  example.  She  might  at  least  have  given  us  the  por- 
trait of  the  Countess  Du  Barry  after  the  latter  left  the 
Court,  at  the  time  when  she  herself  had  reached  the  height 
of  her  success.  Pride  or  policy  may  have  kept  them  apart, 
for  the  artist  was  dependent  on  the  good  graces  of  the 
Princesses,  and  a  visit  to  Louveciennes  might  entail  their 
displeasure  and  a  meeting  with  her  rival,  Madame  Vigee  Le 
Brun. 

When  Jeanne  rose  to  power,  street-songs  and  caricatures 
were  published  recalling  the  years  she  spent  with  Labille, 
and  making  them  the  subject  of  the  most  outrageous 
calumnies.  But  her  enemies  only  went  against  their  own 
interests  by  their  resort  to  such  low  weapons,  for  in  the  face 
of  absurd  exaggeration  and  flagrant  lies  the  King  was  blind 
to  all  but  the  beauty  and  sweetness  of  his  favourite.  The 
Duke  de  Choiseul,  in  his  memoirs,  and  hired  pamphleteers 
have  written  of  the  young  woman  as  a  "vile  courtesan" 
and  a  "  woman  of  the  streets."  There  is  no  longer  any 
question  of  the  long  exploded  legend  placing  her  among  the 
"  marcheuses"  of  la  Gourdan,  "  that  infamous  priestess  of 
the  pleasures  of  Paris,"  l  but  attempts  are  still  made  to 
brand  the  Royal  favourite  as  a  common  prostitute,  although 
since  the  beginning  of  the  igth  century  the  allegations 
of  the  Minister  and  the  libellers  are  known  to  be  baseless. 
Restif  de  la  Bretonne,  who  considered  himself  a  connoisseur 
on  the  subject,  held  them  to  be  falsehoods  2 ;  and  since  then 

1  See  the  little  known  book  by  Sara  G.  (Goudar),  Remarques  sur 
les  Anecdotes  de  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barri,  London,  1777. 
•Restif  de  la  Bretonne,  Annees  des  Dames  nationales. 


12  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Vatel's  minute  examination  of  police  reports  and  special 
registers  has  led  to  their  final  refutation.1  The  young  girl's 
contemporaries  would  indeed  have  given  evidence  of  but 
little  taste  had  they  allowed  her  to  sink  so  low.  The  imagin- 
ation refuses  to  associate  the  fair,  dainty  child,  so  charmingly 
fastidious  in  her  attire,  with  the  unfortunate  women  thrown 
into  a  waggon,  and  taken  to  Salpetriere  amid  the  hooting 
of  fishwives. 

Another  witness  is  the  Count  d'Espinchal.  Of  all  men 
of  the  period  he  was  the  most  exactly  acquainted  with 
its  every  item  of  news,  and  he  carefully  noted  the  par- 
ticulars of  Jeanne's  first  steps  in  the  career  which  she 
had  chosen.  At  this  time,  when  eighteen  years  of  age, 
she  was  known  as  Mademoiselle  Lange,  and,  although 
she  bore  herself  modestly,  "  her  remarkable  beauty  had 
already  caught  the  attention  of  the  grands  amateurs  of  the 
capital.  Monsieur  de  Monville,  who  then  and  after  saw  her 
frequently,  has  often  told  me  how  at  that  time  she  was  so 
pretty  and  charming  that  several  artists  sought  to  have  her 
for  a  model."  Such  a  state  of  affairs  is  certainly  no  evidence 
of  virtue,  but  on  the  other  hand  it  cannot  be  regarded  as 
ground  for  scandalous  conj ectures.  Had  it  been  so,  Monsieur 
d'Espinchal  could  not  have  failed  to  include  them  among  his 
indiscreet  memories,  for  his  whole  object  in  life  "  was  limited 
to  finding  out  day  by  day  all  that  happened  in  Paris,"  and 
he  was  "  even  more  fully  acquainted  with  thousands  of 
things  than  the  lieutenant  of  police." 

In  her  nineteenth  year  Jeanne  left  Labille's  establishment 
ior  the  house  in  rue  Neuve-Saint-Eustache,  later  rue  de  la 
Jussienne,  of  "  a  certain  Count  Du  Barry  who  went  by  the 
name  of  the  Roue,  a  well-known  rogue  and  scoundrel." 
This  Du  Barry  was  a  gentleman  of  Languedoc,  of  good 
manners  and  address,  but  entirely  unscrupulous.  He  loved 
women,  gaming  and  the  pleasures  of  the  table,  and  above 

1  The  results  of  Vatel's  investigation  may  be  verified  by  reference 
to  Monsieur  Camille  Piton's  volume,  Paris  sous  Louis  XV.,  rapports 
des  inspecteurs  de  police  au  Roi,  1907-8,  where  there  is  no  mention  of 
Jeanne  until  she  appeared  as  the  mistress  of  Jean  Du  Barry. 


JEAN    DU   BARRY  13 

all  he  had  a  passion  for  intrigue.  In  a  letter  which  he  wrote 
to  his  relative  Monsieur  de  Malhesherbes  about  the  year 
1775,  after  the  fall  of  the  favourite,  he  displays  his  true 
character  with  all  its  adroitness,  subtlety  and  cleverly 
assumed  sincerity  : 

To  Monsieur  de  Malesherbes, 

Minister  and  Secretary  of  State. 
Monsieur, 

.  .  .  I  shall  hi  a  few  words  lay  before  you  the  whole 
truth,  and  my  fate  depends  on  the  impression  it  will  make 
on  you. 

I  was  born  a  gentleman,  and  in  good  circumstances.  I 
lived  hi  Toulouse  until  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  when  love 
of  the  Arts  and  the  call  of  pleasure  took  me  to  Paris.  Through 
Madame  de  Malause  I  was  presented  to  the  Princes  and 
introduced  into  good  society.  I  spent  several  years  solely 
in  the  pursuit  of  these  two  objects.  Then  the  desire  to 
improve  my  position  and  to  increase  my  means  induced  me 
to  attempt  to  enter  the  Foreign  Service.  Monsieur  Rouille, 
to  whom  I  had  been  recommended  by  the  Duke  de  Duras, 
sent  me  to  various  German  courts,  and  on  my  return 
appeared  to  be  fully  satisfied  with  the  knowledge  I  had 
acquired.  Just  when  he  was  intending  to  employ  me  in 
some  work  in  Franconia,  he  was  replaced  by  Monsieur  le 
cardinal  de  Bernis,  who  promised  me  much,  but  who, 
replaced  in  turn  by  Monsieur  de  Choiseul,  fulfilled  nothing. 
The  latter  having  declared  on  his  accession  to  the  ministry 
that  he  had  several  claims  to  satisfy  prior  to  mine,  and 
my  fortune  being  much  impaired,  Monsieur  Berryer  allowed 
me  to  receive  under  an  assumed  name  the  profits  accruing 
from  several  naval  contracts.  Further,  Monsieur  de  Belle- 
Isle  permitted  me  to  enjoy  the  same  privilege  in  his  depart- 
ment ;  so  that  when  peace  was  restored  my  fortune  had 
attained  considerable  dimensions,  which  were  maintained 
and  even  increased  by  the  interest  I  had  in  the  Corsican 
commissariat. 

As  at  that  tune  my  only  care  was  the  supervision  of  my 
son's  education,  and  being  of  uncertain  health,  I  very  much 
limited  the  circle  of  my  acquaintances ;  and  I  then  asked 
Madame  Ran$on  and  her  daughter,  Mademoiselle  de  Vauber- 
nier,  to  do  the  honours  of  my  house  and  take  charge  of  its- 


14  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

management,  which  they  also  did  for  several  years  with 
tact  and  affection.     .     .     . 

All  that  Jean  Du  Barry  wrote  in  the  above  survey  of  his 
life  was  certainly  founded  on  fact,  but  only  in  a  general  way, 
and  without  supplying  the  particulars  which  would  have 
given  it  accuracy.  It  was  true  that  he  had  been  presented 
to  the  Princes  by  Madame  de  Malause,  the  descendant  of 
a  bastard  branch  of  the  Bourbons.  The  Malauses  were 
connected  with  the  Roue's  mother,  who  bore  the  same 
name.  That  he  was  well-born  is  undeniable,  and  he  came 
of  a  very  old  family.  The  Histoire  de  Languedoc  records 
that  in  the  year  1400  sire  Jean  Du  Barry,  chevalier,  swore 
allegiance  to  his  lord,  the  King  of  France,  and  did  homage 
for  his  land  at  Gourville ;  several  women  of  the  house, 
too,  are  mentioned  as  abbesses  in  the  Gallia  Christiana. 
The  father  of  the  Roue",  Antoine  Du  Barry,  was  captain 
of  the  regiment  of  1'Ile-de-France,  and  had  been  awarded 
the  Cross  of  Saint  Louis.  Of  his  three  sons,  Elie,  the 
youngest,  had  entered  the  Ecole  Militaire  in  1754,  and  this 
he  could  only  have  done  by  proving  the  purity  of  his  blood 
through  four  generations,  at  least  on  the  side  of  the  father. 

The  Du  Barrys  asserted  that  they  were  descended  from 
the  Barrymores,  who  settled  in  England  at  the  time  of  the 
Norman  Conquest,  and  their  claim  was  supported  by  Hozier. 
The  armorial  bearings  of  the  two  branches  were  indeed 
the  same,  but  the  French  one  had  neither  coronet,  nor 
wolf,  nor  motto.  However,  Jean  and  his  brother, 
Guillaume,1  took  the  title  of  Count  without  any  kind  of 
authority.  They  also  re-established  the  following  coat-of- 
arms  :  Argent,  three  bars  gemelles,  gules ;  crest :  a  coronet 
surmounted  by  a  castle,  out  of  which  a  wolf's  head,  sable  ; 
supporters  :  two  wolves,  sable,  ducally  gorged  and  chained, 
or ;  motto :  Boutez  en  avant  \  It  is  a  far  cry  from  this 
grandeur  to  the  obscurity  of  the  vineyard-keeper's  son 

1  There  were  also  three  daughters.  The  eldest,  nicknamed  Chon, 
appears  again  in  this  history  ;  Bitschi,  the  second,  lived  at  Toulouse  ; 
the  third,  of  whom  there  is  little  mention,  married  a  gentleman  living 
in  Levignac. 


AN    EVIL   RECORD  15 

whom  one  of  the  libellers  asserted  the  Roue  to  be,  but  his 
conduct,  even  in  this  age  of  avowed  immorality,  was  little 
worthy  of  one  who  laid  claim  to  the  title  of  a  gentleman. 
Jean  Du  Barry's  life  at  Paris  may  well  be  imagined  from  the 
following  description  of  him  by  one  of  his  contemporaries  : 

Left  to  his  own  devices  at  an  age  when  the  passions  are 
most  powerful,  he  had  recklessly  given  himself  up  to  their 
indulgence.  Never  has  a  man  carried  further  that  base 
intemperance  in  debauchery  which  is  the  very  refuse  of 
love.  Nor  did  he  attempt  to  conceal  his  depravity,  thus 
rendering  it  all  the  more  hideous,  and  this  shamelessness 
earned  him  the  many  evil  titles  that  disgraced  him  hi  the 
eyes  of  society  even  more  than  the  vices  from  which  they 
sprang.  Avaricious  by  temperament  and  prodigal  by  choice, 
all  the  treasures  of  the  universe  would  not  have  been 
sufficient  to  satisfy  his  desires.  ...  He  had  a  powerful 
intellect,  though  endowed  with  acuteness  and  subtlety 
rather  than  with  genius.  ...  On  a  day  of  action  or, 
in  other  words,  of  intrigue,  it  was  as  if  new  powers  were 
given  him,  his  spirit  rose,  and  his  fertile  imagination  could 
discover  expedients  where  others  had  long  since  come  to 
the  end  of  their  resources.  He  would  make  his  plans  with 
a  complete  grasp  of  all  the  issues  involved,  and  in  working 
them  out  would  never  lose  the  thread  of  the  most  insignifi- 
cant detail.1 

Driven  from  the  Foreign  Office  by  ChoiseuTs  churlish 
rebuff,  Du  Barry  turned  his  attention  to  the  Departments 
of  the  Army  and  the  Navy,  and  succeeded  in  amassing  a 
fortune  through  his  connection  with  the  commissariats, 
especially  at  the  time  of  the  Corsican  expedition.  When 
engaged  in  this  type  of  intrigue  he  did  not  hesitate  to  enlist 
the  services  of  Julie,  Madame  de  Grammont's  first  lady's 
maid,  to  avert  the  suspicions  of  Choiseul.  Nor  was  this 
the  only  form  of  speculation  in  which  he  indulged ;  his 
activities  in  other  directions  were  attended  by  equally 
lucrative  results.  When  Madame  de  Pompadour  was  hi 
power  he  tried,  though  without  success,  to  introduce  into 
the  Royal  seraglio  the  beaut  iful  Dorothy,  a  Strasburg 

1  Sara  Goudar,  Remarques  sur  les  Anecdotes. 


16  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

water-carrier's  daughter,  hoping  thereby  to  earn  his  nomina- 
tion at  Cologne.  About  the  same  time  he  offered  Richelieu 
a  certain  Demoiselle  Martin,  whom  the  Marshal,  used  to- 
such  affairs,  chose  to  regard  as  a  very  shrine  of  innocence. 
The  character  of  the  Roue  appears  still  more  odious  in  the 
light  of  these  shameful  dealings,  and  that  he  actually  drove 
such  a  traffic  has  been  abundantly  proved  by  serious  con- 
temporary evidence.  The  Journal  of  Monsieur  de  Sartines' 
Inspectors  states  that  the  Roue  had  seduced  many  pretty 
girls,  up  to  the  day  on  which  he  met  Jeanne. 

The  Count  first  came  to  be  acquainted  with  Rangon  and 
his  family  through  his  interest  in  the  Corsican  commissariat. 
He  soon  had  the  former  sent  to  Fresnay  in  the  Maine  as  a 
collector  of  taxes,  and  Jeanne  and  her  mother  he  took  into 
his  house,  where  they  were  "to  do  the  honours  and  take 
charge  of  its  management."  He  was  deeply  enamoured  of 
his  new  mistress,  and  surrounded  her  with  the  most  tender 
care.  She  was  then  known  by  a  name  scarcely  masking  that 
of  her  supposed  father,  Vaubernier.  The  police  inspectors 
observed  on  December  14, 1764,  the  appearance  of  a  "  young 
woman  of  nineteen  years,  of  noble  bearing  and  the  greatest 
beauty  "  ;  it  was  "  demoiselle  Beauvamier,  mistress  of  Du 
Barry,  who  brought  her  to  his  box  at  the  opera." 

Her  "  noble  bearing,"  which  had  been  noticed  by  simple 
police  officers,  attracted  the  attention  of  more  experienced 
judges.  One  evening  Jeanne  appeared  at  the  Opera  Ball 
"  unmasked,  and  dressed  all  in  white,"  and  Monsieur 
d'Espinchal  adds :  "  In  all  my  life  I  have  never  seen  any- 
thing more  charming  than  this  divine  creature ;  she  was 
Hebe  ;  she  was  one  of  the  Graces.  Voltaire's  description 
of  Agnes  Sorel  would  have  fitted  her  to  perfection : 

Jamais  1' Amour  ne  forma  rien  de  tel ; 
Elle  avait  tout ;   elle  aurait  dans  ses  chalnes 
Mis  les  heros,  les  sages  et  les  rois.     .     .     ." 

Which  was  exactly  what  she  was  eager  to  do,  and  when 
she  succeeded  the  philosopher  of  Ferney  could  judge  her 
worthy  only  of  the  gods. 

At  the  rue  de  la  Jussienne  Jeanne  kept  open  house,  had 


A   LEARNED   CIRCLE  17 

a  large  staff  of  servants,  and  gave  herself  up  to  the  art  of 
pleasing  the  many  agreeable  acquaintances  Du  Barry  had 
introduced  to  her.  His  name  and  fortune  opened  the  doors 
of  the  nobility  to  him,  but  he  preferred  the  brilliant,  though 
mixed  world  of  letters.  Through  his  friend  Favier  both  he 
and  Jeanne  had  come  to  know  Mademoiselle  Legrand,  the 
most  famous  blue-stocking  of  the  period,  and  a  woman 
whom  for  intellect  and  caustic  wit  Du  Mouriez  in  his 
Memoires  compares  to  Ninon  de  L'Enclos.  At  her  house 
they  met  such  men  as  the  younger  Crebillon,  Colle,  and  the 
Count  de  Guibert,  and  freedom  of  manner  and  thought  was 
the  order  of  the  day  in  this  gay  world  of  critics  and  of 
savants.  Crebillon,  with  an  unexpected  air  of  modesty, 
would  join  issue  with  Colle,  readiest  and  most  brilliant  of 
talkers,  in  as  dazzling  a  display  of  verbal  fencing,  with 
thrust  and  parry  of  epigram,  witty  retort  and  quick  repartee, 
as  a  spirit  of  mockery,  that  was  no  respecter  of  things  and 
persons,  could  call  forth.  In  his  hotel  the  Roue  brought 
together  for  his  mistress  "  a  little  circle  of  learned  men, 
the  Abbe  Arnaud,  Marin,  Turpin,  La  Morliere  and  some 
others,  who  kept  her  in  touch  with  the  literature  of  the 
period,  and  taught  her  to  trifle  with  philosophy."  Du 
Barry  also  received  the  poets  Robbe  and  Cailhava  and  old 
Moncrif .  In  such  surroundings,  where  the  libertinism  of  the 
age  appeared  in  its  most  attractive  light,  her  intercourse 
with  these  "  intellectuals  "  gave  her  refinement  and  culture, 
adding  to  her  natural  good  sense  all  the  elegance  of  scepti- 
cism and  all  the  graces  of  learning. 

Her  pliant  nature  found  its  chief  delight  in  acquiring  the 
grand  manners  of  the  people  of  quality  whom  Du  Barry 
entertained  in  large  numbers  ;  among  them  were  such  great 
noblemen  as  the  Duke  de  Duras  and  the  Duke  de  Richelieu, 
to  whom  the  house  offered  attractions  other  than  those  of 
its  art  treasures.  They  had  the  opportunity  of  hearing 
Robbe  tell  his  licentious  tales ;  they  could  witness  the 
representation  of  the  so-called  proverbes,  then  coming 
into  fashion,  and  in  which  the  marvellous  actor  Goy  ap- 
peared, who  was  known  as  "  milord  Goy  "  for  his  extra- 


i8  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

ordinary  power  of  mimicking  the  English.1  At  the  brilliant 
suppers  over  which  his  mistress  presided,  Du  Barry  would 
bring  together  with  men  of  letters  such  men  as  the  Marquis 
d'Arcambal,  commanding  officer  in  Corsica,  the  Count  de 
Thiard,  first  Lord-in-waiting  to  the  Duke  d' Orleans,  his 
brother  the  Count  de  Bissy,  both  Lieutenant-Generals  and 
the  latter  a  Member  of  the  Academy,  the  Marquis  Phillippe 
de  la  Tour-du-Pin,  and  his  brother  Count  Louis,  chamberlain 
to  the  Duke  d' Orleans.  In  this  elegant  and  distinguished 
society  Jeanne's  natural  qualities  and  refinement  were 
developed  and  soon  won  recognition. 

Equally  select  was  the  society  with  which  she  came  into 
contact  in  the  house  of  the  Countess  La  Rena,  who  lived  at 
the  hotel  du  Pe*rou,  rue  Jacob,  and  with  whom  she  was  soon 
on  intimate  terms.  For  seven  years  the  beautiful  Italian 
had  been  the  mistress  of  William  Douglas,  third  Earl  of 
March,  an  accomplished  gentleman  and  a  leader  of  London 
fashion  ;  his  pride  of  bearing  was  rivalled  only  by  that  of 
Richelieu,  who  was  at  all  times  le  grand  seigneur,  "  even 
when  he  most  aimed  at  playing  the  part."  This  same  Lord 
March  afterwards,  when  Duke  of  Queensberry,  presented 
Louis  XV.'s  former  favourite  to  the  King  of  Englanct,  but 
at  the  time  in  question  he  was  completely  under  the  rule 
of  his  "  genteel  passion."  "  I  have  for  her,"  he  wrote, 
"  the  most  sincere  friendship  and  affection.  I  have  always 
given  her  in  the  past,  and  shall  always  continue  to  give  her 
my  regard  and  respect.  Nothing  would  induce  me  to  cause 
her  the  smallest  anxiety,  for  indeed  I  love  her  very  dearly." 
The  Countess  La  Rena  was  often  in  Paris,  and  her  intimacy 
with  Mademoiselle  de  Vaubernier  indicates  to  what  light, 
though  polished,  society  the  latter  was  becoming  accustomed. 
Jeanne  in  her  turn  received  her  friend  at  the  Roue's  house, 
and  Madame  La  Rena  wrote  in  December,  1766,  to  Lord 
William,  who  had  remained  in  London,  "  Monsieur  Du 
Barry  is  charming,  he  has  given  us  balls  where  we  can  meet 
Princesses." 

1  Correspondance  littivaive,  ed.  Tourneux,  Vol.  IX.,  p.  262,  where 
he  is  spoken  of  as  "  milor  Gor." 


MANY   ADMIRERS  19 

Neither  with  Douglas  nor  with  the  Duke  de  Duras  did 
Jeanne  deceive  the  Count.  But  otherwise  she  had  only  to 
choose,  for,  in  the  words  of  a  contemporary  account,  "  this 
demoiselle  is  very  beautiful,  and  all  our  gallants  of  high 
rank  pay  her  assiduous  court."  Among  the  crowd  of 
admirers  the  brilliant  Count  Fitz- James  probably  caught 
her  fickle  fancy  ;  it  is  at  least  certain  that  Richelieu  enjoyed 
her  favour.  Later  the  Marshal  undertook  to  extol  her 
beauty  to  his  monarch,  who  was  hesitating  in  his  choice 
of  a  new  mistress,  and  Louis  XV.  wrote  to  Choiseul :  "  Riche- 
lieu has  been  her  only  lover  "  ;  with  what  sincerity  we  cannot 
tell.  Public  opinion,  however,  ascribes  that  position  both 
to  the  financier  Sainte-Foy  and  the  one-armed  Viscount 
de  Boisgelin,  but  how  many  others  have  not  been  included  ? 
The  police  reports  with  their  usual  generosity  have  swelled 
the  list  and  stigmatised  Du  Barry's  "  infamous  "  acquies- 
cence. At  all  events,  Jean  was  not  in  the  least  jealous, 
and  the  relations  between  them  remained  unchanged.1 

They  were  further  united  by  their  common  interest  in  the 
Roue's  son,  Adolphe,  a  page  in  the  Royal  Household  and,  at 
the  age  of  sixteen,  an  officer  in  the  Guards.  He  was  a  gentle, 
delicate  child,  and  he  must  certainly  have  preferred  to  his 
strange  father  the  woman  who  surrounded  him  with  loving 
care.  His  charming  disposition  had  won  him  general 
esteem  at  Court,  and  the  tenderness  with  which  the  affection- 
ate Jeanne  regarded  her  young  Royal  Lieutenant  may  be 
imagined.  Their  little  love-story  and  its  tragic  end  have 
not  been  touched  by  the  libellers,  except  by  the  author  of 
the  Gazetier  cuirasse  in  a  page  full  of  obscenities.  Yet  the 
Viscount  was  always  at  her  side,  and  she  used  to  lean  on 
liim  for  advice  and  support,  as  the  following  incident  seems 
to  indicate.  It  is  taken  from  the  police  report : — 

On  Tuesday,  May  12,  1767,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening, 
there  appeared  before  us,  etc.,  Jeanne  Dame  de  Vaubernier, 
wife  (sic)  of  messire  Jean,  Count  Du  Barry,  resident  in  Paris, 

1See  Piton,  Paris  sous  Louis  XV.  In  December,  1765,  and 
January,  1766,  Jeanne  is  supposed  to  have  left  the  Roue  for  some 
unknown  reason,  and  lived  alone  at  rue  Montmartre. 


20  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

rue  de  la  Jussienne,  who  complained  to  us  of  the  woman 
Etienne,  sempstress,  of  rue  de  Clery,  and  said  that  about 
a  week  ago  she  had  sent  some  muslin  to  the  said  woman 
Etienne  for  the  purpose  of  having  it  made  up  into  gowns 
and  petticoats  and  other  garments,  which  the  said  woman 
Etienne  was  to  have  brought  back  a  few  days  later ;  that 
to-day,  being  tired  of  waiting  for  the  clothes  which  she 
required  in  the  country,  she  sent  her  servants  one  after  the 
other  to  the  said  woman  Etienne  and,  not  receiving  any 
satisfactory  reply,  she  finally  besought  the  Count  [Viscount] 
Du  Barry,  her  relative  and  an  officer  in  the  Royal  Regiment, 
to  go  himself ;  that  the  said  woman  Etienne  abused  the 
said  Count  Du  Barry,  and  formally  refused  to  give  up  the 
said  clothes  under  the  pretext  that  they  were  not  finished ; 
that  the  said  Count  Du  Barry  offered  in  vain  to  pay  for  the 
said  clothes  as  if  they  were  finished,  provided  she  gave 
them  up  as  they  were,  but  the  woman  continued  to  refuse 
with  the  greatest  obstinacy,  and  she  even  went  so  far  as  to 
insult  the  said  Count  Du  Barry  in  a  tone  of  violence.  .  .  . 

As  Monsieur  d'Espinchal  also  bears  witness,  Jeanne 
had  already  taken  the  title  of  Countess  Du  Barry,  which 
was  legitimately  hers  when  she  came  to  Versailles  after  she 
had  married  Jean's  brother  Guillaume.  But,  although 
she  then  severed  her  connection  with  the  rest  of  the  family, 
she  would  not  be  parted  from  Adolphe  ;  he  attended  all  the 
Royal  functions,  through  her  influence  he  was  made  His 
Majesty's  chief  equerry,  and  she  secured  him  a  dowry 
on  his  marriage  with  Mademoiselle  de  Tournon.  Such, 
then,  were  her  surroundings  before  she  came  to  Court. 
They  seemed  as  if  made  to  refine  her  to  the  utmost,  and  the 
Roue"  was  right  when  he  smilingly  and  shrewdly  remarked, 
"  She  is  fit  for  a  king." 

The  Duke  de  Choiseul  himself  put  the  young  woman  in 
the  way  of  her  fortune.  Du  Barry  had  ceded  his  interest 
in  the  Corsican  commissariat  to  Madame  Ranc,on  and  her 
daughter,  and  for  some  time  they  enjoyed  the  benefit  of  it ; 
but  "  Monsieur  de  Choiseul's  new  regulations  being  likely 
to  deprive  them  of  it,  they  went  to  him  to  petition  for  its 
continuance,  and  it  was  on  one  of  the  many  visits  to  Versailles 


THE    ROYAL   LIAISON  21 

that  this  entailed  that  Mademoiselle  de  Vaubernier  first 
attracted  the  attention  of  Louis  XV."1 

The  Palace  was  always  easy  of  access  to  visitors,  and  if 
oniy  one  were  decently  clad  it  was  quite  possible  to  wander 
through  the  Royal  apartments,  and  to  behold  his  Majesty  and 
the  Royal  Family  dine  in  public.  Jeanne,  on  leaving  the 
office  of  Foulon,  the  Superintendent  of  Finance,  used  to 
go  to  the  Chateau,  and  thus  found  herself,  no  doubt  pur- 
posely, in  the  path  of  her  sovereign,  who  could  not  fail  to 
notice  the  dazzling  apparition.  "  Monsieur  Lebel,"  wrote 
Du  Barry  to  Malesherbes,  "  was  given  his  orders ;  and  he, 
with  whom  neither  she  nor  I  had  any  connection,  carried 
them  out  without  referring  to  me  at  all."  In  the  spring  of 
1768,  Jeanne  was  introduced  to  the  King  by  his  old  valet- 
de-chambre. 

This  version  of  the  origin  of  the  Royal  liaison  agrees  in 
the  main  with  that  given  by  Choiseul  in  his  memoirs.  The 
Duke  apologises  himself  for  his  embittered  pages  when  he 
confesses  to  having  written  the  story  of  his  exile  "  in  the 
heat  of  the  moment."  If  his  account  makes  out  those 
directly  responsible  for  his  disgrace  to  be  monsters  of  malice 
and  baseness,  it  is  unlikely  that  the  favourite  would  escape 
similar  treatment  at  his  hands. 

In  1768,  some  time  before  the  Court  went  to  Compiegne, 
one  of  my  friends  wrote  to  beg  me  to  receive  a  woman  in 
whom  several  people  were  interested,  and  who  desired  to 
ask  a  favour  of  me.  I  was  in  Paris,  and  said  I  would  see 
her  the  following  day  ;  she  came  and  appeared  to  me  only 
fairly  good-looking,  while  her  awkwardness  and  air  of 
constraint  gave  me  the  impression  of  a  woman  bred  in  the 
country.  Nor  was  this  opinion  altered  by  the  business 
on  which  she  came.  She  told  me  that  she  had  trusted  a 
certain  Nallet  with  the  whole  of  her  somewhat  insignificant 
fortune,  and  as  he  had  formerly  been  contractor  for  the 
provisions  of  the  seven  battalions  in  Corsica,  she  besought 
me  to  reserve  an  interest  for  him  in  the  administration  of 

1  The  Roue's  account  has  been  followed  here,  as  on  this  occasion 
he  does  not  seem  to  have  had  anything  to  gain  by  concealing  the 
truth. 


22  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

the  supplies  for  the  eighteen  battalions  now  to  be  sent 
there.  I  gently  represented  to  her  the  impossibility  of 
changing  in  her  favour  a  general  arrangement,  and  said  that 
Nallet  had  done  very  well  for  those  seven  battalions,  but 
that  I  doubted  whether  he  was  capable  of  undertaking  a 
larger  work.  As  she  continued  to  insist  in  a  manner  as 
indecorous  as  it  was  stupid  I  got  rid  of  her  by  advising  her 
to  turn  to  Monsieur  Foulon,  who  was  responsible  for  these 
details.1 

At  first  Jeanne's  relations  with  Louis  XV.  were  almost 
unnoticed ;  they  were  discreetly  ignored  on  account  of 
Marie  Leczinska's  death  at  Versailles  on  June  24.  After  the 
funeral  obsequies  the  King  went  to  Marly  and  then  to 
Compidgne.  "  I  happened,"  wrote  Choiseul,  "  not  to  be 
there  the  first  few  days.  The  day  after  my  arrival  Monsieur 
de  Saint-Florentin  came  and  told  me  that  there  was  at 
Compiegne  a  Madame  Du  Barry  whom  the  King  visited, 
with  whom  he  passed  the  night,  and  with  whom  he  was  said 
to  be  deeply  in  love  ;  he  added  that  this  Madame  Du  Barry 
was  a  girl  to  whom  Du  Barry,  the  Roue,  had  given  his  name, 
a  brilliant  retinue  and  powdered  lackeys,  and  that  he  said 
he  had  married  her  to  one  of  his  brothers.  .  .  ."  The 
two  ministers  discussed  the  matter,  and  deplored  the  choice 
of  their  master.  "  Besides,  we  thought  that  such  a  low 
intrigue  could  have  no  other  consequences  than  those  of  a 
momentary  fancy ;  we  hoped  between  ourselves  that  the 
King  would  behave  better  in  the  future,  and  that  this  would 
be  the  last  indulgence  of  his  taste,  of  which  we  were  aware, 
for  bad  company." 

Jeanne  did  not  marry  Guillaume  Du  Barry  until  September 
i,  though  the  civil  contract  was  drawn  up  previously  on 

1  According  to  Talleyrand,  the  Roue,  before  he  presented  his 
mistress  to  the  King,  had  thought  of  marrying  her  to  Nallet  (called 
Nallu  by  Choiseul's  editors),  after  which  Lebel  would  get  Nallet  a 
post  as  farmer-general.  Evidently  the  Roue  had  several  strings  to 
his  bow  ;  by  some  means  or  other  he  intended  to  derive  benefit  from 
Jeanne's  future.  We  may  disregard  Choiseul's  accusations  of 
"  awkwardness  "  and  "  stupidity  "  in  the  pretty  petitioner,  as  well 
as  the  low  means  of  persuasion  he  alleged  she  employed.  At  least 
he  confirms  the  Roue's  account  of  the  fortuitous  circumstances 
which  brought  Jeanne  to  the  King's  notice. 


A   PARODY   OF   A   CONTRACT  23 

July  23  by  Maitre  Garnier-Desch£nes,  a  Paris  notary 
The  marriage  had  been  arranged  by  the  Roue  to  give  the 
lady  position  and  title,  and  Guillaume,  an  obscure  provincial 
captain,  was  delighted  at  the  windfall,  and  hastened  to  the 
side  of  his  brother.  As  the  father,  Antoine  Du  Barry,  was 
dead,  a  power  of  attorney  was  obtained  from  his  widow, 
Dame  Catherine  de  Lacaze,  who  gave  her  consent  on  con- 
dition that  the  union  was  consecrated  with  canonical  rites. 
This  contract  exhibits  with  unequalled  audacity  the  lies 
and  pretensions  of  Jean  Du  Barry.  Among  those  who 
appeared  before  the  notaries  of  the  Chatelet  were  "  Nicolas 
Ran£on,  in  the  service  of  the  government,  and  Dame  Anne 
Becu  his  wife  .  .  .  the  said  dame  formerly  the  widow  of  Jean 
Jacques  Gomard  de  Vaubernier,  in  the  service  of  the  government, 
contracting  on  behalf  of  Mademoiselle  Jeanne  Gomard  de 
Vaubernier,  a  minor,  daughter  of  the  said  Dame  Ran?on 
and  of  the  said  late  Gomard  de  Vaubernier,  her  first  husband. 

The  Roue  seems  to  have  vented  all  his  malice  in  this  parody 
of  a  contract : — 

ARTICLE  i. — There  shall  be  no  community  of  goods 
between  the  said  Seigneur  and  the  Demoiselle  his  future 
wife,  herein  running  counter  to  the  custom  of  Paris  or 
of  any  other  place.  ...  on  the  contrary  the  said 
Demoiselle  shall  alone  enjoy  and  administer  the  property, 
rights  and  shares,  movable  and  immovable,  which  are  hers, 
and  which  may  become  hers  under  whatsoever  title. 

ARTICLE  2. —  .  .  .  Her  movables  consist  of  the  sum  of 
30,000  livres,  composed  of  jewels,  diamonds,  dresses,  linen, 
lace  and  household  goods  in  her  use,  the  whole  derived  from 
her  gains  and  savings,  and  of  which  an  inventory  has  been 
made.  .  .  . 

ARTICLE  5. — The  said  Seigneur  and  future  husband  has 
settled  on  the  Demoiselle  and  future  wife  1,000  livres  in 
yearly  income,  the  capital  of  which  laid  out  at  4  per  cent, 
interest  shall  belong  to  the  children  to  be  born  of  the 
marriage.  .  . 

ARTICLE  7. — It  is  agreed  that  the  said  Demoiselle  and 


24  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

future  wife  shall  alone  undertake  the  conduct  and  expenses 
of  the  household,  whether  of  food,  rent,  wages,  table-linen, 
household  utensils,  maintenance  of  equipage,  etc.,  and  all 
other  expenses  without  exception,  those  for  the  said  Seigneur 
and  future  husband  as  well  as  those  for  the  children  to  be 
born  of  the  marriage,  whom  she  must  bring  up  and  educate 
at  her  own  expense.  .  .  -1 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  actual  falsification  only  took  place 
at  the  religious  celebration  of  the  marriage.  The  bride 
was  made  younger  by  three  years,  and  was  asserted  to  be  the 
issue  of  the  marriage  of  Anne  Becu  and  Jean- Jacques  Go- 
mard  de  Vaubernier,  an  imaginary  person  supposed  to  have 
died  in  1749.  On  September  i,  1768,  in  the  church  of 
Saint-Laurent,  at  five  o'clock  in  the  morning,  the  ceremony 
took  place,  at  which  the  former  "  frere  Ange,"  now  invested 
with  the  high-sounding  title  of  King's  Almoner,  alone 
represented  the  family  of  the  bride. 

It  amused  the  Roue  to  complicate  matters ;  he  cheated 
at  the  new  game  for  pleasure,  sure  of  impunity,  although 
a  severe  law  was  directed  against  these  frauds.  There  were 
various  precedents  to  encourage  him.  Had  he  not  seen,  on 
the  occasion  of  a  recent  marriage,  another  bride  and  Royal 
mistress,  the  lovely  Morphise,  call  herself  O'Murphy  de 
Ballimore  de  Boisfailly  ?  Besides,  it  was  worth  taking 
some  trouble  to  gain  the  end  in  view,  and  though  he  may 
have  expected  rather  more  from  his  enterprise,  at  least  he 
had  the  satisfaction  of  having  performed  his  work  well. 
His  retinue  of  scribblers  and  adventurers  were  by  no  means 
niggardly  with  their  compliments,  and  even  those  who  most 
condemned  his  cynicism  were  able  to  write  :  "If  attention 
is  directed  to  the  great  changes  he  has  brought  about,  to 
the  lowly  position  from  which  he  started,  to  the  wheels  he 
could  set  in  motion  and  to  the  means  he  employed,  if  the 
prejudices  he  has  vanquished  and  the  obstacles  he  has 

1  This  contract  was  first  published  in  1859  by  J.-A.  Le  Roi,  and 
is  to  be  found  in  his  CuriositSs  historiques,  Paris,  1864.  The  inten- 
tional inexactitudes  which  give  it  its  fraudulent  character  have  been 
italicised. 


DROPPING    THE   PILOT  25 

overcome  are  considered,  one  cannot  deny  that  he  possessed 
talent  of  some  description."1 

Madame  Du  Barry,  when  once  at  Court,  knew  how  to  get 
rid  of  her  trying  mentor  ;  clever  in  her  turn  she  discarded 
him  gracefully.  He  had  helped  her  to  attain  her  exalted 
position,  but  her  own  personal  qualities  were  enough  to  make 
it  secure.  In  the  meantime,  he  took  the  final  arrangements 
in  hand  ;  he  sent  the  nominal  husband  back  to  Languedoc 
immediately  after  the  ceremony ;  he  paid  for  the  dresses 
and  jewels,  ordered  the  livery,  the  coach,  and  a  very  beautiful 
sedan-chair  on  which  he  had  the  arms  of  the  Du  Barrys 
painted,  quartering  on  them  those  of  the  Gomards  de  Vau- 
bernier,  as  blazoned  by  some  chance  herald  he  had  come 
across :  azure,  a  chevron  or,  bearing  a  jay  surmounted  by 
the  letter  G  ;  two  roses  in  point,  a  dexter  hand  in  pale,  all 
argent. 

Thus  provided  for,  and  in  a  position  to  do  her  new  family 
credit,  the  young  Countess  left  for  Fontainebleau,  where 
the  Court  had  just  arrived.  At  Compiegne  she  had  resided 
in  a  private  house,  but  now  the  King  had  her  live  with  him  in 
the  Chateau  ;  and  Monsieur  de  Mercy,  Ambassador  of  the 
Austrian  Empire,  in  his  astonishment  at  the  serious  turn 
events  had  taken,  thought  it  his  duty  to  write  to  his  Cabinet : 
"  My  lady  is  lodged  in  the  Court  known  as  '  Les  Fontaines  ' 
in  the  apartment  next  to  that  which  Madame  de  Pompadour 
had  occupied ;  she  has  numerous  servants,  her  liveries 
are  resplendent,  and  on  Sundays  and  holidays  she  may  be 
seen  at  Mass  in  one  of  the  chapels  of  the  rez-de-chaussee 
reserved  for  the  King.  Such  treatment,  so  different  from 
that  suitable  to  a  simple  girl,  is  daily  attracting  more 
attention  from  the  courtiers.  .  .  ."2  Courtiers  and 
ambassadors  were  to  be  still  further  surprised. 

1  Sara  Goudar,   Remarques  sur  les  Anecdotes,   etc. 

1  Correspondance  secrSte  du  comte  de  Mercy- AY genteau  avec 
i'empereur  Joseph  II.  et  le  prince  de  Kaunitz,  Paris,  D'Arneth  and 
Flammermont,  1891. 


CHAPTER   II 

JEANNE  AT  COURT 

Pamphlets  against  the  New  Favourite — Hostility  of  the  Choiseuls — 
Animosity  of  "  Mesdames  " — The  "  Barriens  " — The  Presenta- 
tion— The  Gift  of  the  Chateau  of  Louveciennes — The  Favourite's 
increasing  Influence — The  Salon  of  the  Louvre  in  1769 — The 
Marriage  of  the  Dauphin. 

THE  King  had  given  his  favourite  a  suite  of  apartments 
at  Fontainebleau,  and  he  could  do  no  less  at  Ver- 
sailles. When  the  Court  returned  in  December, 
1768,  six  rooms  in  the  chapel  wing  of  the  Chateau 
were  assigned  to  her,  which  were  temporarily  unoccupied 
owing  to  the  death  in  August  of  the  old  valet  Lebel.  She 
rented  an  hotel  in  the  rue  de  1'Orangerie  for  her  suite, 
where  she  could  also  receive  visitors,  for  though  Jean  Du 
Barry  had  disappeared,  their  former  friends  still  came  to 
see  her.  The  men  of  letters  and  the  "  intellectuals  "  in 
particular  continued  to  visit  her,  and  the  Prince  de  Ligne 
speaks  of  having  heard  Robbe  recite  his  wanton  verses 
at  her  house.  "  I  often  met  him  at  supper  there,  before 
Madame  Du  Barry's  presentation,"  he  wrote ;  "  she  used 
to  be  exceedingly  diverted  by  his  folly  in  believing  himself 
the  owner  of  the  smallest  foot  in  France."1 

Cailhava  was  another  poet  whom  she  certainly  received, 
for  he  composed  in  her  honour  his  Etrennes  de  I' Amour,  a 
ballet  which  was  performed  early  in  1769  by  the  Corned  ie 
Italienne.  It  is  a  scarcely  veiled  allegory  presenting  "  the 
ornament  of  the  Court  "  hi  the  guise  of  a  Hebe,  fair  as  one 
of  the  Graces.  In  the  copy  he  gave  her  he  wrote  the  follow- 
ing dedication : 

1  Prince  de  Ligne,  Mbnoires  et  melanges  historiques.  Paris,  1827-8, 
Vol.  IV.,  p.  53. 

26 


MADEMOISELLE   CHON  27 

Transporte  par  un  songe  au  haut  de  1'Empyree, 

J'ai  cru  voir  cette  nuit  la  belle  Cytheree, 

L'aimable  Hebe,  le  Dieu  qu'invoquent  les  amants, 

La  tendre  Volupte,  les  Graces,  les  Talents, 

Qui  d'un  air  satisfait  parcouraient  mon  ouvrage. 

Un  sourire  flatteur  m'annoncait  leur  suffrage ; 

J'ai  redoute  leur  fuite  a  1'instant  du  reveil, 

Mais  je  les  vois  encor,  ce  n'est  pas  un  mensonge, 

Un  seul  de  vos  regards  realise  mon  songe, 

Et  j'etais  moins  heureux  dans  les  bras  du  Sommeil. 

These  verses  were  the  first  to  celebrate  the  new  divinity. 
It  was  said  that  she  adopted  as  her  own  the  witticisms  of 
others.  A  letter,  supposed  to  be  by  her  hand,  appeared  in 
an  English  journal,  but  it  was  in  reality  written  by  Claire- 
Fran£oise  Du  Barry,  nicknamed  "  Chon."  Marmontel,  the 
editor  of  the  Mercure,  printed  it  in  his  paper,  announcing  it 
as  follows  :  "I  hasten  to  publish  this  letter  as  containing 
a  high  lesson  of  virtue,  and  as  a  rare  piece  of  eloquence." 
This  was  high  praise  ;  for,  although  Mademoiselle  Du  Barry 
was  not  without  certain  literary  merits,  she  was  more 
notable  for  her  intelligence  than  for  her  talents  as  a  writer. 
The  Countess  soon  recognised  her  qualities,  and  when  in 
any  difficulty  would  turn  to  her  for  advice.  Mademoiselle 
Chon  generously  put  at  the  service  of  her  friends  the  ascend- 
ancy she  thus  obtained  over  the  young  favourite.  For 
instance,  she  brought  about  the  recall  of  La  Beaumelle, 
who  had  been  exiled  from  Paris  by  Madame  de  Pompadour. 
She  was  "  if  not  on  the  best  of  terms  with  him,  at  least  on  the 
next  best."  In  the  tender,  hurried  little  notes  that  she  sent 
him,  she  recommended  him  to  write  the  favourite  thousands 
of  compliments,  which  she  would  undertake  to  read  to  her, 
perhaps  even  in  the  presence  of  the  King.  And  the 
audacious  girl  actually  carried  out  her  plan  one  day,  when 
she  recited  before  amused  Royalty  these  verses : 

Amour,  lasse  d'etre  bizarre, 
Veut  reunir  enfin,  par  un  coup  qui  surprend, 

Ce  que  1' Europe  a  de  plus  rare  : 
Des  femmes  la  plus  belle  et  des  rois  le  plus  grand. 
Son  choix  est  bientdt  fait  et  sa  main  se  depdche, 

Aux  yeux  des  peuples  eblouis 

De  blesser  de  la  meme  fl£che 

Les  coeurs  de  Jeanne  et  de  Louis. 


28  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

The  increasing  conspicuousness  of  her  position  brought  the 
Countess  attacks  as  well  as  homage,  and  the  former,  as  the 
latter,  first  arose  in  high  places  ;  but  soon,  when  the  amours 
of  the  King  had  become  public  property,  they  were  sung 
in  every  street-corner.  Certain  pamphlets,  passed  by  the 
Lieutenant  of  Police,  showed  an  unheard-of  audacity. 
In  January,  1769,  for  instance,  the  Brevet  d'apprentissage 
d'une  jeune  fille  de  modes  appeared,  a  venomous  little  poem 
in  which  the  heroine's  aunt  is  given  the  name  of  "La 
Babille,"  which  bears  a  sufficient  resemblance  to  Labille. 
At  the  same  time  a  wretched  novel  was  printed,  the  history 
of  a  depraved  peasant  girl,  written  by  herself  and  entitled 
Vie  de  la  Bourbonnoise  ;  in  this  the  authors  introduced  the 
apocryphal  anecdotes  against  Madame  Du  Barry,  which 
were  so  sedulously  repeated  by  many  other  libellers.  The 
book,  whose  title  was  in  itself  a  direct  allusion,  had  a  con- 
siderable vogue,  and  was  more  than  once  adapted  for  the 
stage  ;  but  the  songs  alone  could  popularise  the  malevolent 
legend,  and  it  was  not  long  before  the  first  couplets  of  La 
Bourbonnoise  were  in  general  circulation  : 

La  Bourbonnoise 
Arrivant  a  Paris 
A  gagne  des  louis. 
La  Bourbonnoise 
A  gagne  des  louis 
Chez  un  marquis. 

De  paysanne 
Elle  est  Dame  a  present, 
Mais  grosse  Dame, 
Porte  des  falbalas 
Du  haut  en  bas. 

Elle  est  allee 

Se  faire  voir  en  Cour  ; 

Elle  est  allee  ; 

On  dit  qu'elle  a,  ma  foi, 

Plu  meme  au  Roi !  .     .     . 

Several  editions  of  La  Bourbonnoise  were  published  "  in 
order  to  satisfy  the  public  appetite ;  this  vaudeville  soon 
became  as  fashionable  as  the  little  puppets  which  every 


THE    FAVOURITE   ATTACKED  29 

woman  had  to  carry  in  her  pocket."  l  Of  the  variants 
known  "  the  most  piquant  and  naive  "  began  as  follows  : 

Quelle  merveille 
Une  fille  de  rien. 

Quelle  merveille 
Donne  au  Roi  de  1* Amour, 

Est  a  la  Cour. 

The  song  is  frankly  obscene,  and  when  it  is  borne  in  mind 
that  the  most  "  naive "  of  these  couplets  were  perhaps 
composed  by  very  great  ladies,  the  intensity  of  the  anger 
roused  by  the  presence  of  the  new  mistress  at  Versailles 
may  be  more  clearly  estimated. 

The  Apotheose  du  Roi  Petaud,  a  rhymed  tale  circulated 
clandestinely,  was  aimed  directly  against  the  King,  but 
was  perhaps  of  not  so  low  a  type  of  literature  : 

II  vous  souvient  encor  de  cette  Tour  de  Nesle. 
Tivinmille,  Lymal,  Rouxchateau,  Papomdour  ; 
Mais,  dans  la  foule  enfin  de  pent-Sire  cent  belles 

Qu'il  honora  de  son  amour, 
Vous  distinguez,  je  crois,  celle  qu'a  notre  Cour 
On  soutenait  n'avoir  jamais  etc  cruelle.     .     .     . 

Qui  dans  Paris  ne  connut  ses  appas  ? 
De  laquais  au  marquis  chacun  se  souvient  d'elle.     .     .* 

Madame  Du  Barry  had  the  good  taste  to  pretend  that  she 
smiled  at  all  these  insults,  but  Louis  XV.  suffered  in  his 
love,  as  La  his  pride.  Since  she  whom  he  had  chosen  was 
shamelessly  and  remorselessly  attacked,  he  became  all  the 
more  attached  to  the  heedless  child,  as  much  out  of  defiance 
and  chivalry  as  out  of  tenderness.  His  pretty  favourite 
enchanted  him  ;  she  was  docile,  tender,  joyous  and  indulgent 
in  turn,  compliant  to  his  every  wish.  In  her  fresh  presence, 
in  the  atmosphere  of  her  youth  and  gaiety,  the  sovereign's 
melancholy  melted  away.  He  meant  to  have  her  presented 

1  Sara  Goudar,  Remarques  sur  les  Anecdotes.  The  author  quotes 
in  connection  with  these  couplets  the  saying  of  a  courtier  :  "I 
thought  Choiseul's  party  would  get  the  upper  hand  ;  but  since 
Madame  Du  Barry  is  lampooned  in  Paris,  her  position  at  Versailles 
is  secure." 

*  The  tale  was  attributed  to  Voltaire,  some  of  his  lines  having 
been  cleverly  introduced  into  it. 


30  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

as  soon  as  possible  so  that  she  might  be  beside  him  in  his 
coach,  and  always  with  him  at  all  Court  functions.  But 
many  difficulties  were  to  arise  and  oppose  his  wishes. 

Mesdames  de  France,  the  King's  daughters,  were  bitterly 
opposed  to  the  favourite.  Madame  Adelaide  had  indeed 
declared  that  it  "  would  be  better  to  support  her  than  to 
run  the  risk  of  having  a  queen,"  but  she  changed  her  mind 
on  the  advice  of  her  counsellors.  As  the  Princesses  were 
not  in  a  position  to  hear  the  more  shameless  of  the  rhymes 
about  the  Countess,  others  better  suited  to  their  ears  were 
composed.  These  were  ascribed  to  the  Duke  de  Nivernais 
and  the  Abbe  de  Lattaignan,  but  they  were  very  likely 
written  by  Boufflers,  an  intimate  friend  of  Choiseul : 

Lisette,  ta  beaute  s6duit 
Et  charme  tout  le  monde  ; 
En  vain  la  duchesse  en  rougit 

Et  la  princesse  en  gronde  ; 
Chacun  salt  que  V6nus  naquit 

De  1'ecume  de  1'onde. 

En  vit-elle  moins  tous  les  dieux 

Lui  rendre  un  juste  hommage, 
Et  Paris,  ce  berger  fameux, 

Lui  donner  1'avantage 
Me"me  sur  la  reine  des  cieux 

Et  Minerve  la  Sage  ? 

Dans  le  serail  du  Grand  Seigneur 

Quelle  est  la  favourite  ? 
C'est  la  plus  belle  au  gre  du  coeur 

Du  maitre  qui  1'habite  ; 
C'est  le  seul  titre  a  sa  faveur, 

Et  c'est  le  vrai  merite. 

The  Princesses,  having  been  informed  of  all  the  circum- 
stances of  the  new  liaison,  were  quite  prepared  to  listen  to 
the  interested  opinions  of  the  Austrian  Ambassador,  the 
Count  de  Mercy- Argenteau.  He  hinted  at  "  the  importance 
.  .  .  to  the  fame  of  the  King  of  a  second  marriage, 
through  which  he  would  be  led  to  abandon  his  disorderly 
life."  The  Archduchess  Elizabeth,  a  daughter  of  Maria 
Theresa,  desired  nothing  more  than  to  marry  him,  and  such 
a  union  had  already  been  proposed  at  the  time  of  Marie 


SEEKING   A   CHAPERONE  31 

Leczinska's  death.  But  then  Monsieur  de  Choiseul,  and 
above  all  his  sister  the  Duchess  de  Grammont,  had  feared 
the  advent  of  a  queen,  "  wise  and  lovable,  who  would 
succeed  in  winning  the  love  of  her  husband,"  and  who  would 
gain  influence  over  him  at  their  expense. 

Convinced  that  by  no  other  means  could  the  King  be 
made  to  give  up  his  evil  ways,  the  Princesses  "  had  been 
most  pressing  in  their  entreaties  that  he  should  give  them  a 
queen,  and  that  his  choice  should  fall  on  the  Archduchess  ; 
at  first  the  King  had  answered  them  with  hesitation  and 
some  embarrassment ;  but  then  his  tone  became  more 
affectionate,  and  he  told  them  that,  taking  into  account  his 
age  and  his  circumstances,  a  second  marriage  could  not  be 
wholly  advantageous  ;  that  he  had  however  considered  the 
matter,  and  that  the  ardent  desire  Mesdames  had  evinced 
in  this  respect  had  influenced  his  determination  .  .  . 
that  he  would  sue  for  the  hand  of  the  Archduchess  provided 
her  appearance  were  not  displeasing  to  him."  Mesdames 
instantly  suggested  sending  an  artist  to  Vienna  to  paint 
Elizabeth's  portrait,  and  the  King  consented  to  let  Ducreux 
go  for  that  purpose.1 

But  the  moment  he  again  saw  his  mistress  he  forgot  all 
his  promises  and  his  daughters'  grief,  not  to  speak  of  the 
feelings  of  the  Austrian  Cabinet ;  one  thing  only  occupied 
his  mind,  the  presentation  of  the  favourite  and  the  means 
of  bringing  it  about.  The  Baroness  de  Montmorency  agreed 
to  chaperone  "  the  creature,"  as  her  enemies  called  her, 
"  requiring  in  return  ready  money  and  many  favours  "  ; 
but  her  demands  were  too  high,  and  her  offer  was  declined. 
The  Duchess  d'Aiguillon,  in  spite  of  her  intimacy  with 
Madame  Du  Barry,  refused  to  play  the  part  of  sponsor,  but 
she  induced  the  Countess  de  B6arn,  an  impoverished 
relative  from  the  provinces,  to  undertake  the  task  in  her 
place. 

1  Drouais  had  at  first  been  proposed,  but  he  valued  his  services 
too  highly.  Ducreux  arrived  in  Vienna  the  following  February, 
and  painted  the  portraits  of  most  of  the  Imperial  family,  his  real 
object  being  to  bring  back  to  Versailles  the  portrait  of  Marie 
Antoinette. 


32  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

The  Princesses,  on  hearing  of  these  preparations,  gave  up 
"  in  despair  "  all  hope  of  their  father's  marriage.  Choiseul 
alone  remained  confident,  and  planned  to  supplant  the 
Countess  by  throwing  into  the  arms  of  the  monarch  a 
delightful  little  Madame  Millin,  "  the  young  and  charming 
wife  of  a  physician,"  according  to  a  contemporary  ;  "  but 
although  she  is  very  pretty,  she  is  not  so  beautiful  as  the 
favourite ;  no  one  wishes  Monsieur  de  Choiseul  success  in 
this  affair,  for  the  King  is  too  much  in  love."1 

His  Majesty  announced  to  his  Cabinet  that  the  presenta- 
tion would  take  place  on  January  25.  He  promised  to  pay 
the  debts  of  the  Count  de  Be*arn's  widow  and  to  protect  her 
two  sons,  who  were  officers,  one  in  the  Cavalry,  the  other 
in  the  Navy.  Richelieu,  who  was  the  First  Lord-in- Waiting 
of  that  year,  ordered  her  Court-dress  ;  Marigny,  the  Director 
of  the  Office  of  Works,  gave  orders  for  the  repair  of  the 
apartments  formerly  occupied  by  Madame  de  Pompadour 
in  the  palaces  of  Marly,  Choisy  and  Bellevue,  and  for  "  the 
re-opening  of  all  communications  between  them  and  those 
of  the  King."  The  attractive,  intellectual  Marquise  Du 
Deffand,  who  was  all  for  Choiseul,  wrote  on  the  24th  to  her 
friend  Horace  Walpole :  "  They  say  that  to-morrow  is  the 
day  when  a  petticoat  will  perhaps  determine  the  destinies 
of  Europe.  .  .  .  No,  no,  I  cannot  believe  in  all  that 
they  foresee !  .  .  .  One  may  overcome  the  greatest 
obstacles  and  hi  the  end  be  held  back  by  shame  .  .  ."2 
Shame  did  in  fact  hold  back  Madame  de  Beam  ;  on  all  sides 
she  encountered  such  black  looks  that  on  January  25  she 
most  conveniently  sprained  her  ankle,  and  was  forced  to 
keep  her  room. 

Then  what  rejoicings  among  Choiseul's  supporters,  what 
consternation  among  the  "  Barriens  "  !  But  the  game  was 
only  drawn,  not  won.  The  King,  wishing  to  win  back  his 
daughters,  sent  them  Monsieur  de  La  Vauguyon,  tutor  to 
the  Royal  Family  and  Choiseul's  open  enemy.  He  came  to 

1  Belleval,  Souvenirs  d'un  chevau-ttger,  p.  118. 
1  Madame  Du  Defiand's  letters  to  Horace  Walpole,  ed.  Lescure, 
Vol.  I.,  p.  530.    The  letter  quoted  is  by  mistake  dated  the  i4th. 


LOUIS   XV 
Engraved  l>y  Bonnet  from  the  fainting  by  I'anloo 


AN   ANXIOUS   TIME  33 

hold  forth  to  them  on  the  respect  due  to  paternal  authority, 
but  was  very  ill  received  by  Madame  Adelaide,  who  turned 
her  back  on  him  and  refused  to  listen.  The  story  of  the 
scene  spread  through  the  Court,  and  details  were  added  to 
taste.  "  The  cabal  of  Madame  Du  Barry  has  for  some  time 
been  very  obviously  under  a  cloud,"  wrote  Mercy  to  the 
Prince  de  Kaunitz  ;  "  Monsieur  de  La  Vauguyon,  who  is 
the  head  of  it,  is  quite  disgraced." 

But  as  yet  the  favourite  feared  nothing ;  she  trusted  in 
the  affection  of  the  King.  Whilst  Richelieu,  La  Vauguyon, 
Saint-Florentin  were  bestirring  themselves,  Adolphe  Du 
Barry,  more  congenial  to  her  light-hearted  nature,  came 
every  day  to  amuse  her.  He  felt  that  he  lived  only  when  in 
her  adored  presence,  and  sometimes  she  was  kind  to  him, 
and  the  happiness  of  former  days  was  his  again.  Youth 
triumphs  over  all,  and  at  twenty  love  could  scarcely  make 
him  jealous  of  the  rights  of  His  Majesty ;  that  he  was 
still  allowed  the  dear  joy  of  her  tender  mockery  was  sufficient 
to  inspire  him  with  gratitude  to  Fate. 

Though  the  mistress  was  little  troubled  by  the  indignation 
of  the  Princesses  and  the  tumult  her  presence  had  raised,  an 
accident  to  the  King  seriously  disturbed  her  composure. 
On  February  4,  when  hunting  in  the  forest  of  Saint-Germain, 
he  fell  from  his  horse  and  injured  his  arm  so  badly  that  it 
was  feared  at  first  he  had  broken  it.  He  was  carried  on  a 
stretcher  to  his  coach,  and  did  not  return  to  Versailles  until 
eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  The  agitation  of  the  Court 
may  be  imagined,  the  anxiety  of  the  Princesses,  the  emotion 
of  Madame  Du  Barry.  Se"nac,  the  physician  in  ordinary, 
having  bled  the  invalid,  cried  from  the  window  to  the 
crowd  which  had  collected  that  there  was  no  danger.  And 
the  good  people,  remembering  that  Louis  had  once  been  the 
"  Well-Beloved,"  replied  with  "  Long  live  the  King  !  " 

The  next  day  the  monarch  was  present  at  his  council,  and 
on  February  8  he  received  the  Ash  Wednesday  blessing 
from  the  hands  of  the  Archbishop  of  Rheims.  But  three 
days  later  the  contusion  spread,  and  he  was  obliged  to  keep 
his  room.  The  favourite  saw  him  no  more ;  Richelieu 


34  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

dared  not  introduce  her,  for  the  Princesses,  often  accom- 
panied by  "  les  petites  Mesdames,"  Clotilde  and  Elizabeth, 
would  not  quit  the  Royal  bedside.  In  this  domestic  intimacy 
they  regained  their  ascendancy  over  their  father,  and  the 
question  of  the  marriage  was  once  more  brought  forward. 
He  even  spoke  of  having  Madame  Adelaide's  apartment 
put  in  order  for  the  future  queen.  But  none  could  fathom 
the  inmost  thoughts  of  this  timid,  fugitive,  elusive  soul. 
The  moment  his  convalescence  began  he  hastened  to  send 
for  Madame  Du  Barry. 

All  the  correspondence  of  the  period  mentions  the  two 
possibilities.  They  may  be  followed  in  the  letters,  hitherto 
unpublished,  of  a  sensible,  independent  woman,  who  at  that 
moment  was  deeply  concerned  to  have  the  exactest  informa- 
tion. Madame  Denis,  then  at  Paris,  kept  her  uncle,  Voltaire, 
hi  touch  with  the  smallest  events  at  Court.  She  wrote  to 
him  on  March  8,  1769  : 

Monsieur  de  Choiseul  is  still  in  the  same  position ; 
but  he  has  gained  time,  and  that  is  much.  He  has  time  to 
change  his  mind.  My  lady  is  not  yet  presented,  and  the 
King  has  kept  back  nine  or  ten  other  women  who  are  waiting. 
However,  it  is  generally  supposed  that  she  will  be.  They 
say  she  is  gay  and  good-natured ;  and  if  others  were  not 
backing  her,  there  would  probably  be  nothing  to  which  to 
object,  but  ...  I  hope  that  the  Duke  will  make  a 
move  towards  a  reconciliation  with  her.  The  King  has 
continual  pain  in  his  arm,  he  cannot  raise  it,  he  cannot  sign 
his  name,  the  fall  was  more  serious  than  any  one  thought. 
.  .  .  I  have  already  told  you  that  he  had  taken  Madame' s 
apartment  in  order  to  make  his  own  and  that  of  Madame 
Du  Barry  larger.  He  still  loves  her  with  the  same  passion. 

The  mistress  lived  for  some  days  in  terrible  anxiety,  and 
as  soon  as  the  King  returned  to  her  she  besought  him  with 
every  loving  protestation  to  spare  her  such  torments  in 
future,  and  allow  her  to  be  presented.  As  her  lover  he  con- 
soled her,  and  as  her  sovereign  he  gave  his  solemn  promise. 
"  I  reopen  my  letter,  my  dear  friend,"  wrote  Madame  Denis 
to  Voltaire  on  March  26,  "  to  tell  you  that  some  widow  from 


THE   PRESENTATION  35 

the  provinces  whose  name  I  cannot  in  the  least  remember, 
will  be  presented  on  Palm  Sunday,  and  that  she  will  then 
present  Madame  Du  Barry  on  the  Sunday  after  Easter ; 
she  is  a  second  Madame  d'Estrade.1  I  am  sure  of  the 
authenticity  of  this  news." 

The  month  of  March  was  entirely  devoted  to  the  prepara- 
tions for  the  marriage  of  the  Duke  de  Chartres  to  Mademoi- 
selle de  Penthievre.  Nothing  further  opposed  the  King's 
plans,  and,  having  come  to  an  agreement  with  Richelieu,  he 
announced  on  the  evening  of  April  21  that  the  following 
day  one  single  presentation  would  take  place,  that  of 
Madame  Du  Barry. 

The  ceremony  roused  curiosity  not  only  at  Court,  but  also 
in  the  salons  of  Paris  and  in  diplomatic  circles.  Louis  had 
made  his  decision  in  order  to  destroy  the  hopes  of  the 
Austrian  Cabinet.  The  Count  de  Mercy  wrote  with  obvious 
disappointment  to  Chancellor  Kaunitz :  "I  find  it  no  less 
disgraceful  that  a  Marshal  de  Richelieu,  a  Tutor  and  a 
Governess  to  the  Royal  children,  should  lend  themselves 
to  such  a  base  intrigue,  and  that  Madame  De  Marsan  and 
Monsieur  de  La  Vauguyon,  who  had  made  so  much  show  of 
their  piety,  should  publicly  say  that  God  permits  an  evil  in 
order  to  prevent  a  greater  one,  that  greater  evil  being 
according  to  them  the  existence  of  their  enemy,  Monsieur 
de  Choiseul." 

The  tense  situation  had  indeed  lasted  too  long.  During 
the  months  of  expectation  passions  had  been  roused,  and 
bitter  hatreds  had  sprung  up,  while  the  mire  of  ever-growing 
scandal  had  swallowed  up  yet  more  of  the  prestige  and 
authority  of  royalty.  The  Gazette  de  France,  the  official 
organ  of  the  Court,  recorded  the  great  news  :  "  On  the  22nd 
of  this  month  (April,  1769)  the  Countess  Du  Barry  had  the 
honour  of  being  presented  to  the  King  and  the  Royal 
Family  by  the  Countess  de  Beam." 

Thus  was  the  door  opened  for  Jeanne's  entry  on  to  the 

1  Madame  d'Estrade  had  presented  Madame  de  Pompadour  under 
somewhat  similar  circumstances,  better  known  to  Voltaire  than  to 
any  one. 


36  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

stage  of  History,  to  play  what  many  called  her  tragic  part. 
But  tragedy  suited  her  ill.  Hers  was  a  nature  softly 
feminine,  pliant  and  impressionable  ;  her  mind  could  never 
stifle  the  promptings  of  her  heart,  nor  could  her  heart  but 
be  the  servant  of  her  soul.  With  her  light-hearted,  careless 
grace,  the  exquisite  girl  was  far  more  akin  to  one  of  the 
younger  Crebillon's  heroines  then  to  La  Merteuil  of  the 
Liaisons,  to  whom  love  was  but  "  a  string  of  experiences  on 
which  to  reflect  at  leisure."  She  was,  moreover,  always 
herself.  Her  instincts  had  grown  like  the  fair  flowers  of 
the  field,  though  not  unmixed  with  tares.  In  spite  of  the 
influence  of  an  age  when  affectation  flourished,  Rousseau 
himself  could  not  have  dreamt  of  a  Sophie  more  natural 
than  she.  And  if  she  sometimes  rouged  her  cheeks  and 
powdered  her  hair,  at  least  there  was  nothing  counterfeit 
about  her  soul.  The  court  was  steeped  in  artificiality,  and 
into  its  atmosphere  of  self-interest,  intrigue  and  lies  came 
frank  Jeanne  Du  Barry,  a  goddess  without  shame,  no  doubt, 
but  above  all  a  goddess  of  truth.  Her  engaging  simplicity 
kept  her  from  being  dazzled  by  the  amazing  good  fortune 
which  had  made  her  life  a  fairy  tale.  With  magnificent 
serenity  she  mounted  queen-like  the  grand  staircase  at 
Versailles.  Her  vitality,  her  vibrant  youth  were  to  Louis 
XV.  the  sources  whence  he  drew  a  new  delight  in  life. 

On  Sunday,  the  day  after  the  presentation,  Madame  Du 
Barry,  in  full  dress  and  wearing  all  the  diamonds  of  the 
previous  evening,  attended  the  King's  Mass.  She  occupied 
the  seat  in  the  chapel  which  had  formerly  been  Madame  de 
Pompadour's.  Louis  XV.  sat  with  his  eyes  fixed  on  his 
mistress  ;  he  still  carried  his  arm  in  a  sling  and  he  crossed 
himself  repeatedly  with  his  left  hand.  Several  bishops  were 
observed  in  His  Majesty's  suite  ;  they  seemed  to  have  come 
for  the  purpose  of  paying  court  to  the  favourite,  the  irony  of 
fate  having  decreed  that  the  clerical  party  should  centre 
their  hopes  in  her. 

After  divine  service  the  Countess,  now  admitted  to  the 
table  of  Mesdames  and  the  Dauphin,  solemnly  entered  on 
her  official  duties.  If  circumstances  allowed,  she  was  on 


CHOISEUL   AND   THE   FAVOURITE  37 

the  way  to  becoming  the  first  power  in  the  kingdom.  An 
avowed  mistress  had  already  intervened  in  State  affairs, 
created  and  dismissed  ministries,  made  nominations  to  the 
War  Office,  given  orders  for  the  Office  of  Works  and  Public 
Buildings.  In  Madame  de  Pompadour's  time  every  petition, 
every  request  had  to  be  submitted  to  her  before  being 
presented  to  the  King  ;  her  power  to  issue  lettres-de-cachet 
was  almost  unlimited,  and  only  her  own  creatures  were  at 
all  in  favour.  Would  the  Countess  Du  Barry  acquire  the 
same  authority,  would  she  in  her  turn  hold  the  reins  of 
government  ?  Such  were  the  questions  eagerly  discussed 
among  the  courtiers,  by  some  with  curiosity,  with  anxiety 
by  others. 

Calmest  of  all  was  Monsieur  de  Choiseul,  whose  power 
then  knew  no  bounds.  He  directed  Foreign  affairs,  and  the 
Army,  and,  through  his  cousin  Praslin,  the  Navy  too ;  he 
was  superintendent  of  the  Post,  and  Governor  of  Touraine  ; 
governor  also  of  the  hospital  of  Les  Invalides,  and  colonel  of 
the  Swiss  and  Orison  regiments.  His  work  had  never  been 
difficult  to  him,  and  by  its  fortunate  outcome  he  had  won 
the  confidence  of  his  sovereign.  To  him  in  part  the  kingdom 
owed  the  restoration  of  the  Navy,  the  acquisition  of  Corsica, 
and,  in  spite  of  the  war,  the  firm  position  of  France  after 
the  Treaty  of  the  Quadruple  Alliance  and  the  Family  Pact, 
which  had  at  least  strengthened  the  bonds  uniting  the 
House  of  Bourbon. 

Chance  had  given  his  genius  scope,  and,  as  his  enthusi- 
astic admirers  allowed,  his  faith  hi  himself  had  proved  a 
valuable  support.  But  "  he  was  by  no  means  equal  to  the 
image  of  him  that  one  had  formed,"  wrote  Senac  de  Meilhan, 
"  and  the  memoirs  he  wrote  leave  little  doubt  as  to  this." 
The  Barriens  could  indeed  accuse  him  of  pettinesses,  un- 
worthy of  a  man  of  his  powers  ;  but  perhaps  these  could  be 
traced  to  the  influence  exerted  over  him  by  his  sister  Beatrix, 
Duchess  de  Grammont,  who  was  for  ever  fanning  his  hatred 
of  the  new  mistress. 

The  minister  felt  that  behind  the  favourite  was  the 
Richelieu-La  Vauguyon  faction,  that  had  sworn  his  downfall. 


38  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

When  Madame  de  Pompadour  died,  his  enemies  had  sought 
to  further  their  own  ends  by  giving  the  King  the  frivolous 
d'Esparbes,  who  had  seemed  to  please  his  fancy.  Even 
while  the  Marquise  still  lived  the  King  had  been  attracted 
by  the  wayward  grace  of  the  little  Countess.  She  was  a 
fragile  little  being,  red-haired  and  azure-eyed,  and  very 
short-sighted,  but  she  had  the  most  lovely  hands,  and  when 
cherries  were  in  season  she  used  to  pluck  the  scarlet  fruit 
for  His  Majesty  with  her  baby  fingers  all  powdered  with 
sugar. 

One  word  from  Choiseul  was  enough  to  put  her  out  of  the 
question,  and  he  thought  to  get  rid  of  Madame  Du  Barry 
with  the  same  ease.  The  truth  of  the  matter  was  that  the 
Duchess  de  Grammont,  who  had  been  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour's friend,  ardently  desired  to  succeed  to  her  position. 
Although  not  beautiful  she  fascinated  by  her  wit  and 
learning,  and  her  salon  was  the  resort  of  courtiers,  philoso- 
phers and  politicians  alike.  She  was  her  brother's  counsellor 
and  their  intimacy  had  given  occasion  to  much  malicious 
gossip.  Of  an  unfailing  courtesy  and  a  sovereign  elegance 
of  manner,  she  held  that  "  morality  was  only  made  for  the 
common  people."  1 

Such  were  the  powerful  and  unscrupulous  adversaries 
with  whom  the  favourite  had  to  deal.  In  spite  of  the  love 
of  Louis  she  might  perhaps  have  been  overcome,  had  not 
the  malcontents  rallied  round  her,  and  particularly  those 
who  were  actuated  by  their  personal  hatred  of  Choiseul. 
To  win  friends  and  to  obtain  the  necessary  influential  con- 
nections the  Countess  gave  suppers  on  the  first  days  after 
her  triumph.  But  only  men  responded  to  her  advances. 
At  the  first  there  were  present  "  two  Princes  of  the  Blood 
and  three  great  lords,  besides  her  chief  counsellors,  the 
Viscount  des  Cars  and  the  Count  de  Bissy."  2  The  women 

1  "  There  was  something  attractive  and  yet  despotical  in  Madame 
de  Grammont's  ways  ;  she  only  allowed  one  opinion  about  her  ; 
all  who  loved  Monsieur  de  Choiseul  were  welcome  ;  the  rest  did  not 
come  to  see  her."  Memoires  du  Prince  de  Talleyrand,  Vol.  V.,  p.  585. 

*  Journal  inedit  du  due  de  Cray,  published  by  the  Viscount  de 
Grouchy  and  Paul  Cottin,  Paris,  1906,  Vol.  II.,  p.  366. 


DISDAINFUL   BEAUTIES  39 

continued  inflexible,  and  many  affected  to  be  filled  with 
the  profoundest  contempt.  The  Duchess  de  Grammont, 
the  Duchess  de  Choiseul  and  the  Princess  de  Beauvau  made 
common  cause  and  left  Versailles.  During  the  short  sojourn 
at  Marly  no  ladies  were  found  to  join  the  King  at  cards. 
They  were  slow  to  pardon  the  intruder,  but  several  of  these 
disdainful  beauties  were  soon  to  become  Madame  Du  Barry's 
intimate  friends.  The  King  invited  eight  of  them  by  special 
command  to  the  supper  which  took  place  on  March  25  at 
Bellevue.  Among  the  guests  were  also  the  Prince  de 
Soubise,  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  the  Duke  de  Gontaut  and  the 
Count  de  Saint-Florentin,  "  as  if,"  says  a  witness,  "  the  King 
particularly  delighted  in  bringing  cat  and  dog  together." 
The  sovereign  hoped  that  such  an  occasion  of  intimacy 
would  establish  more  friendly  relations  between  the  minister 
and  the  favourite.  At  supper  the  latter  was  seated  between 
His  Majesty  and  the  Count  de  la  Marche,  who  "  was  well 
disposed  towards  that  lady,"  according  to  the  King.  The 
company  was  very  gay ;  "  but  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  did 
not  exhibit  the  same  serene  composure  with  which  he 
usually  bears  himself  at  these  entertainments  ;  the  Countess 
displayed  that  ease  of  manner  which  had  been  hers  ever 
since  her  presentation  ;  she  had  charmed  as  much  by  her 
wit  as  by  her  ethereal  grace."  Her  beauty  was  even  more 
striking  by  artificial  light,  and  the  blaze  of  her  diamonds 
was  dazzling.  After  supper,  to  which  the  Viscount  Adolphe 
had  also  been  invited,  the  King  announced  the  game ;  he 
requested  "  a  vingt-un  for  Madame  Du  Barry,  a  game  of 
which  she  is  very  fond  ;  Madame  de  Flavacourt  exclaimed 
that  she  would  take  part,  also  Monsieur  le  Marechal  de 
Richelieu,  who  added  that  he  was  quite  at  Madame  Du 
Barry's  service."  The  following  morning  the  King,  together 
with  his  First  Lord-in-Waiting  and  the  Captain  of  the 
Guards,  was  present  at  her  toilette.  The  hour  they  spent 
by  her  dressing-table  was  charming,  and  it  was  easy  to 
understand  Louis  XV. 's  affection  for  the  pleasure-loving 
child,  so  lovely,  witty  and  graceful  was  she. 

Some  of  the  women  began  to  desert  Choiseul's  party.    At 


40  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

a  grand  supper  to  eighteen  people  which  Richelieu  gave  in 
honour  of  his  friend,  he  introduced  her  to  two  old  ladies  of 
his  own  time,  the  Princess  de  Talmont  and  the  Duchess  de 
Valentinois.  The  former  was  somewhat  eccentric,  but 
clever,  the  latter  had  been  indulgent  towards  all  the 
favourites,  and  was  only  too  ready  to  instruct  the  newcomer 
in  everything  pertaining  to  the  Court.  But  indeed  the 
Countess  bore  herself  with  an  ease  surprising  in  one  to  whom 
so  much  evil  had  been  ascribed.  The  verdict  of  those 
courtiers  who  were  in  a  position  to  compare  her  with  her 
predecessor,  Madame  de  Pompadour,  has  thus  been  summed 
up  by  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand :  "  Although  [Madame  de 
Pompadour]  had  been  brought  up  and  had  lived  among  the 
financial  circles  of  Paris,  which  were  then  quite  distinguished, 
she  was  not  well-mannered,  and  even  Versailles  did  not  cure 
her  vulgarity  of  language.  She  differed  in  all  respects  from 
Madame  Du  Barry,  who,  though  less  well  educated,  had 
attained  a  certain  purity  of  language.  Madame  Du  Barry's 
eyes  were  not  so  large,  but  they  were  more  expressive  ;  her 
features  were  well  cut,  her  hair  of  great  beauty  ;  she  liked 
talking  and  could  tell  a  story  pleasantly  enough."  This 
latter  quality  was  no  doubt  a  further  element  in  her  attrac- 
tion for  the  King,  who  was  sensitive  to  elegance  and 
accuracy  of  expression,  and  who,  whatever  may  have  been 
said  to  the  contrary,  would  never  have  permitted  any 
deviation  from  such  language  in  his  presence. 

Towards  the  end  of  May  the  Court  removed  to  Choisy, 
and  this  was  the  first  occasion  on  which  Madame  Du  Barry 
accompanied  the  King  in  his  coach.  As  if  in  her  honour  the 
performance  of  plays,  suspended  since  the  death  of  the 
Dauphin,  was  resumed.  The  companies  of  the  Royal 
theatres,  who  took  it  in  turns  to  appear  before  His  Majesty, 
received  their  instructions  from  the  First  Lord-in- Waiting 
of  the  year,  but  in  reality  the  ordering  of  the  Revels  was 
largely  left  to  the  favourite.  Naturally,  Madame  Du  Barry 
has  been  accused  of  choosing  indecent  works  to  be  played 
before  her,  but  the  Journal  des  spectacles  de  la  Cour  com- 
pletely refutes  these  charges.  Besides  the  tragedies  of 


A   LESSON    IN   ASTRONOMY  41 

Corneille,  Racine,  Voltaire  and  Crebillon,  and  the  comedies 
of  Moliere,  Destouches  and  Sedaine,  the  Court  witnessed 
only  the  most  irreproachable  plays. 

The  first  performance  to  be  given  at  Choisy  at  the  com- 
mand of  the  Countess  was  L'Etourderie,  a  comedy  hi  one  act 
by  Fagan,  as  well  as  a  first  representation  of  Alix  et  Alexis, 
a  three-act  play  interspersed  with  songs  by  Ponsinet,  the 
music  by  Monsieur  de  La  Borde.  Of  all  sentimental  dramas 
this  latter  is  one  of  the  most  proper,  and  is  based  on  a  well- 
known  mediaeval  legend.  But  ignorant  scribblers  were  all 
the  more  inclined  to  believe  it  licentious  because  it  had  never 
been  acted  before,  except  in  the  theatre  of  La  Guimard,  the 
belle  damnee,  who  with  Gardel  danced  the  pas-de-deux  in  the 
pastoral  scene  that  evening. 

The  gay  times  before  the  Court  went  into  mourning 
seemed  to  have  returned ;  Jeanne's  smiles  dissipated  the 
melancholy  of  the  King,  who  surrounded  her  with  tender 
care,  to  which  she  responded  with  loving  caresses.  One  day 
"  His  Majesty  accidentally  let  fall  a  small  case,  and  Madame 
Du  Barry,  dropping  on  one  knee,  hastened  to  pick  it  up  "  ; 
he  raised  her,  murmuring  gently  :  "  Madame,  it  is  for  me 
to  assume  such  a  position,  and  that  for  all  my  life."  Her 
lengthy  toilette  often  delayed  the  suppers  at  which  she  was 
present,  but  the  vision  of  her  pure  beauty,  heightened  by 
the  charm  and  fancy  of  her  costume,  won  the  indulgence  of 
all.  The  King  loved  to  see  her  in  the  guise  of  Flora,  and 
nothing  suited  the  fresh  bloom  of  her  youth  better  than  the 
light  silk  dress  with  love-knots  of  myrtle,  the  crown  of  roses 
on  her  brow,  and  the  pearls  on  her  delicate  arms,  in  which 
array  the  artists  so  often  portrayed  her. 

In  June  the  Court  came  to  Saint-Hubert,  where  they 
intended  to  observe  the  transit  of  the  planet  Venus  across 
the  disc  of  the  sun.  Louis  XV.  was  interested  in  astronomy 
as  in  all  subjects  bearing  on  the  mysterious  and  infinite. 
"  The  King  as  a  lover  of  all  the  arts,  and  one  initiated  in 
the  most  sublime  mysteries,  observed  at  Saint-Hubert  the 
transit  of  Venus  before  the  sun.  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du 
Barry  accompanied  His  Majesty,  and  the  King  deigned  to 


42  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

instruct  her  ladyship  in  the  elements  of  astronomy  that  she 
might  be  in  a  position  to  derive  interest  from  the  pheno- 
menon. A  courtier  wrote  the  following  verses  in  honour  of 
the  occasion  : 

Que  nous  diront  ce  telescope 
Cette  Venus  et  ce  Soleil  ? 
Aussi  sans  ce  vain  appareil 
Cherchons  un  plus  sur  horoscope  : 
En  ces  delicieux  jardins 
Brillent  nos  astres  veritables  ; 
C'est  dans  leurs  regards  adorables 
Que  nous  trouverons  nos  destins  !  " 

At  about  this  time  the  divinity  of  the  hour  had  in  fact 
the  opportunity  to  influence  the  fate  of  a  poor  girl  of  twenty 
years  who  lived  at  Liancourt  in  the  French  Vexin.  She 
had  just  given  birth  to  a  stillborn  child,  and  as  she  had  not 
made  the  declaration  of  pregnancy  required  by  the  law  she 
was  accused  of  infanticide,  and  condemned  to  be  hanged 
by  decree  of  the  Parliament  of  Paris.  Monsieur  de  Mande- 
ville,  of  the  black  musketeers,  was  seized  with  pity  on 
hearing  of  this  affair,  and,  determined  to  plead  for  the 
unfortunate  girl,  came  to  the  Court,  which  was  then  at 
Marly.  He  did  not  know  Madame  Du  Barry,  but  he  had 
heard  of  her  goodness  of  heart  and  active  pity,  and  to  her 
he  turned.  Moved  by  the  story  he  told  her,  she  at  once 
wrote  a  letter  to  Monsieur  de  Maupeou,  chancellor  of 
France,  which  resulted  in  the  reprieve  of  the  condemned 
girl: 

Monsieur  le  Chancelier, 

I  understand  nothing  of  your  laws  ;  but  they  are  unjust 
and  barbarous  ;  they  act  against  all  reason,  humanity  and 
policy  if  they  sentence  to  death  a  poor  girl  delivered  of  a 
stillborn  child  without  having  made  the  necessary  declara- 
tion. According  to  the  enclosed  memorandum,  such  is  the 
case  of  the  petitioner ;  it  seems  that  she  was  condemned  for 
no  more  than  ignorance  of  the  law,  or  because  she  refused 
to  conform  to  it  out  of  a  very  natural  modesty.  I  rely  on 
your  sense  of  justice  in  the  consideration  of  this  affair, 
but  the  unfortunate  girl  deserves  merciful  treatment.  I 
ask  of  you  at  least  to  commute  her  sentence ;  the  rest  I 


THE   FAVOURITE   INTERCEDES  43 

leave  to  the  dictates  of  your  heart.  I  have  the  honour 
to  be.  .  .  .* 

Madame  Du  Barry's  petition  was  well  received,  and  "  all 
Paris  could  not  help  applauding  her  beautiful  act."  Some 
days  later  she  again  deprived  the  hangman  of  one  of  his 
victims,  and  on  this  occasion  political  interests  were  involved. 
The  Count  de  Louesme  and  his  wife,  people  of  good  family 
but  deeply  in  debt,  had  been  served  with  a  warrant  for  their 
arrest,  and  had  twice  offered  violent  resistance  to  the 
officers  attempting  to  carry  it  out.  They  had  entrenched 
themselves  in  their  chateau  of  Parc-Vieil  on  the  borders  of 
the  Champagne  and  the  Orleanais.  There  the  Countess  had 
stood  gun  in  hand  by  her  husband's  side  ;  a  bailiff  had  been 
killed,  and  a  mounted  officer  mortally  wounded.  They  had 
endured  a  two  days'  siege  before  capitulating,  and  nine 
prisoners  were  taken  to  Montargis. 

The  case  was  called  before  the  Parliament  of  Paris,  as  it 
constituted  a  Crown  case,  and  criminal  proceedings  were 
taken.  A  year  later  judgment  was  pronounced  condemning 
Louesme  and  his  wife  to  be  beheaded.  The  affair  created 
great  excitement  among  the  nobility,  for  since  Lally,  none 
of  their  number  had  been  sentenced  to  death.  The  Countess 
de  Moyon,  the  daughter  of  the  culprits,  and  their  daughter- 
in-law,  Baron  de  Heldorf's  widow,  went  to  beg  the  King 
for  mercy.  Their  appeals  left  him  unmoved,  but  by  the 
help  of  the  Countess  de  Bearn  they  obtained  access  to 
Madame  Du  Barry  instead,  with  the  result  that  one  day  the 
favourite,  supplicating  the  King  on  bended  knees,  "  de- 
clared that  she  would  never  rise  until  His  Majesty  had 
granted  her  request."  Louis'  heart  was  softened,  and  he 
dared  refuse  no  longer.  "  Madame,"  he  replied,  "  I  am 
enchanted  that  the  first  favour  you  compel  me  to  grant 
should  be  an  act  of  humanity."2  The  letters  of  reprieve 
were  sent  in  all  haste  and  were  just  in  time  to  prevent  the 

1  The  young  girl  was  named  Apolline  Gregeois.  She  was  arrested 
on  June  5,  and  on  the  28th  the  sentence  of  death  was  commuted 
to  three  years'  imprisonment.  See  Vatel,  Vol.  I.,  p.  239. 

'Anecdotes,  p.  114,  whose  accuracy  as  to  this  episode  has  been 
verified  by  Vatel,  Vol.  I.,  p.  250. 


44  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

execution.  "  This  matter,"  wrote  a  chronicler,  who  was 
little  inclined  to  view  the  Countess  with  favour,  "  does  her 
infinite  honour,  and  has  conciliated  some  of  the  great 
families  of  the  kingdom  who  were  concerned." 

The  Royal  mistress  showed  by  these  public  actions  that 
she  intended  to  make  full  use  of  her  powers  on  behalf  of 
the  unfortunate.  Many  turned  to  her  in  their  distress  and 
were  helped,  beside  the  impecunious  crowd  of  poets  and 
literati  who  sought  her  protection.  The  first  to  think  of 
soliciting  her  patronage  singularly  exposed  her  to  attack. 
In  June,  1769,  the  Chevalier  de  La  Morliere,  a  bad  character 
and  a  worse  writer,  who  was  a  friend  of  the  Rou6  and  the 
younger  Crebillon,  thought  fit  to  dedicate  a  book  to  this 
charming  representative  of  the  Muses.  Incidentally  it  was 
by  no  means  one  of  the  impudent  productions  which  had 
earned  him  the  title  of  the  French  Aretino  ;  it  contained 
but  a  collection  of  anecdotes  arranged  "  to  show  the  influence 
of  fate  on  the  human  heart,"  and  the  author  called  it  Le 
Fatalisme.  The  Memoires  secrets  announced  its  publication 
in  words  whose  spirited  satire  recall  Bachaumont :  "  Since 
the  elevation  of  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barry  at  Court 
brought  before  the  public  her  beauty,  talents  and  virtues, 
not  one  of  our  writers  has  as  yet  burnt  incense  at  the  shrine 
of  the  new  divinity,  having  perhaps  refrained  through 
admiration  or  respect."  Further,  "  the  work  though  worse 
than  mediocre  has  been  bought  up  at  an  astonishing  rate, 
everyone  being  eager  to  read  the  dedication.  The  general 
opinion  is  that  the  author  has  obtained  tacit  permission 
from  the  lady  in  question,  and  that  his  example  will  be 
followed  by  other  panegyrists  more  worthy  of  his  heroine."  1 

1  Mtonoires  secrets  pour  servir  d  I'histoire  de  la  Rtpublique  des 
lettres,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  250.  (June  n.)  On  June  26  the  same  writer 
says  that  "  the  Chevalier  de  La  Morlidre,  author  of  the  dedication 
to  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barry,  and  whose  zeal  and  homage  has 
been  published  in  several  foreign  papers,  has  recently  had  the  honour 
of  being  invited  to  supper  with  his  Minerva."  He  recognised  in  the 
latter  a  taste  for  letters  and  "  an  intention  to  protect  them.  So 
say  they  who  have  had  intercourse  with  this  gentle  lady,  whose  natural 
wit  is  quite  capable  of  appreciating  a  purer  and  more  delicate  incense." 
The  tone  of  this  extract  differs  materially  from  that  of  the  first. 


CHOISEUL   WITHDRAWS  45 

This  is  the  dedication  which  the  favourite  had  to  thank 
for  such  ironical  compliments  : 

To  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barry. 

To  you,  Madame,  who  are  the  most  charming  exception 
to  sad  fatalism,  I  dedicate  this  work  that  bears,  alas  !  but 
too  much  witness  to  the  influence  of  that  power.  Nature  has 
lavished  on  you  her  most  precious  gifts,  the  most  fortunate 
destiny  appears  to  rule  your  career,  and  to  this  happy 
combination  you  add  what  is  of  even  greater  importance, 
a  gracious  and  charitable  disposition.  These  estimable 
qualities,  Madame,  will  inspire  your  judgment ;  you  will 
honour  the  arts  and  sciences  and  all  that  appears  to  you 
worthy  of  special  distinction,  and  you  will  thus  show  a 
discrimination  of  real  merit  that  is  always  independent  of 
circumstances  and  far  superior  to  the  superficialities  under 
which  false  greatness  too  often  thinks  to  conceal  its  pettiness. 
I  am,  Madame,  respectfully, 
Your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

Chevalier  de  La  Morliere. 

But  Madame  Du  Barry  was  superstitious  and  only  saw  a 
disturbing  prophecy  in  all  these  praises,  for  the  book  bore 
a  motto  from  one  of  Seneca's  tragedies  :  "No  prayers  may 
prevail  against  the  decrees  of  Fate." 

At  the  time  everything  certainly  seemed  to  conspire  in  her 
favour.  Her  position  at  Court  grew  daily  more  secure ; 
Choiseul  even  left  her  in  possession  for  a  while,  having 
retired  to  his  estate  at  Chanteloup  after  the  Bellevue 
supper.  The  move  was  clever  and  had  often  been  used  by 
Cardinal  de  Fleury  ;  it  gave  Jeanne  a  respite  during  which 
the  persecuting  epigrams  ceased.  Everyone  submitted  to 
her  gentle  influence,  or  perhaps  all  were  at  the  idol's  feet 
simply  because  "  the  wind  blew  absolutely  from  that 
quarter." 

The  departure  of  the  Court  for  Compiegne  was  effected 
amid  much  expenditure  on  equipment.  The  Countess  had 
at  her  disposal  three  coaches-and-six,  and  her  relays  at 
the  post-houses  were  ordered  with  those  of  the  King.  From 
far  and  wide  people  flocked  to  catch  a  glimpse  of  the 


46  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

favourite,  who  graciously  showed  herself  at  the  window, 
but  the  cries  of  admiration  which  so  much  beauty  and 
luxury  aroused  were  not  unmingled  with  abuse. 

The  Sovereign  was  accompanied  by  a  numerous  retinue,  of 
whom  many  were  ladies.  When  the  list  of  those  proposed 
to  form  his  suite  was  laid  before  the  King,  he  had  struck  off 
with  his  own  hand  the  names  of  the  Countess  de  Brionne, 
the  Countess  d'Egmont  and  the  Duchess  de  Grammont, 
thus  punishing  their  animosity  against  his  mistress.  They 
revenged  themselves  for  this  humiliation  by  publishing  a 
caricature,  Le  Combat  des  Anagrammes,  of  which  they  them- 
selves formed  the  subject.  "  They  were  supposed  to  be 
three  Graces  .  .  .  appearing  to  flee  in  disgust  at  the 
sight  of  a  beauty  of  a  different  type,  whose  disorderly 
appearance  and  lascivious  attitudes  were  characteristic  of 
an  anagram  of  the  word  grace,  a  name  given  only  to  lost 
women  who  have  no  sense  of  shame  or  modesty."1  The 
epigram  was  only  circulated  privately ;  it  was  attributed 
"  particularly  to  Madame  de  Grammont  .  .  .  who  had 
most  reason  to  bear  a  grudge  against  her  rival,  for  the 
King  had  once  before  mortified  her  more  than  she  could  well 
bear/'  according  to  one  daring  chronicler.2 

While  on  the  way  to  Compiegne  the  King  bestowed  on 
the  Countess  a  striking  favour ;  he  presented  her  with  a 
Crown  domain  for  life.  Marie  Leczinska  herself  had  coveted 
the  little  chateau  of  Louveciennes  or  Luciennes,  close  to 
Marly,  for  its  charming  situation  near  Versailles  on  a  hill 
commanding  a  fine  view  of  the  neighbourhood.  It  had  only 
one  disadvantage,  and  that  was  its  nearness  to  the  hydraulic 
engine  at  Marly,  to  whose  monotonous  noise,  however,  one 
gradually  became  accustomed.3  The  building  was  very 

1  Metnoires  secrets,  Vol.  IV.,  p.  266.  *  Anecdotes,  p.  117. 

*  Madame  Vigee  Le  Brun,  when  at  Louveciennes,  where  she  was 
painting  the  portrait  of  the  favourite,  complained  of  this  drawback. 
"  She  gave  me  a  room  looking  out  on  the  engine  at  Marly,  which  was 
then  in  full  activity.  This  trying  noise  worried  me  and  disturbed 
my  sleep."  But  the  artist  admits  that  she  was  sensitive  to  sounds. 
Cf.  the  letter  she  wrote  to  a  friend,  in  the  Souvenirs  de  voyage  de  la 
princesse  Natalie  Kourakine,  Moscow,  1903. 


THE   GIFT   OF   LUCIENNES  47 

pretty  but  was  small  and  consequently  somewhat  incon- 
venient. It  had  been  the  property  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Clermont,  and  later  of  the  Countess  de  Toulouse,  His 
Majesty's  aunt  and  confidant.  At  her  death  the  reversion 
of  the  estate  had  passed  to  the  Duke  de  PenthiSvre,  whose 
young  son,  the  Prince  de  Lamballe,  died  there  after  terrible 
suffering.  The  Duke  at  once  relinquished  his  life  interest 
in  a  property  bearing  for  him  such  melancholy  associations, 
and  the  King  made  over  the  estate  to  his  mistress  by  a 
warrant  of  July  24,  1769.  Repairs  and  extensions  had  to 
be  undertaken  before  it  was  fit  to  receive  the  Sovereign.  As 
Madame  Du  Barry  henceforth  lived  at  home,  her  lawyer 
and  not  the  Treasury  defrayed  the  expenses  of  the  works 
which  were  directed  by  Gabriel.1  The  Royal  Architect 
pushed  on  the  business  at  the  request  of  the  Countess,  and 
building  went  on  during  the  whole  of  1770. 2 

This  was  in  fact  Louis'  first  gift  to  the  favourite,  for  as 
yet  she  had  asked  for  none.  "  For  fourteen  months  she 
received  neither  pension  nor  presents  from  the  monarch 
.  .  .  "  wrote  a  contemporary ;  "in  the  midst  of  the 
most  brilliant  Court  in  the  world  she  lived  at  her  own 
expense." 3  The  Roue  succeeded  later,  though  with 
difficulty,  in  obtaining  from  the  Abbe  Terray,  minister  of 
finance,  a  reimbursement  of  the  advances  he  had  made  to 
the  Countess  for  the  maintenance  of  her  suite  at  Versailles. 
He  had  not  been  long  in  seeing  that  his  hopes  would  be 
frustrated  by  the  somewhat  contemptuous  scrupulousness 

1  This  has  been  brought  to  light  by  a  letter  from  Gabriel  to  Monsieur 
Le  Pot  d'Auteuil,  of  October  28,  1770. 

*The  extravagant  exaggerations  of  the  pamphleteers  against 
Madame  Du  Barry  are  exemplified  in  their  allegations  at  to  the 
expenses  incurred  by  the  gift  of  Louveciennes.  The  Anecdotes 
speak  of  the  King  squandering  a  million,  grave  Dalmas  makes  it  six 
millions  and  Prudhomme  ten,  while  modern  authors  have  still 
further  increased  the  sum.  Vatel  makes  known  the  exact  sum  from 
Gabriel's  accounts,  which  were,  as  usual,  excellently  kept ;  it 
amounted  to  138,268  livres,  8  sols,  n  deniers. 

*  Sara  Goudar,  Remarques  sur  les  Anecdotes.  Later  this  was 
changed,  and  the  minister  of  finance  was  accused  of  endorsing 
Madame  Du  Barry's  drafts  on  the  exchequer  as  if  they  were  the 
King's.  The  charge  is  not  easy  to  verify. 


48  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

of  his  sister-in-law.  In  vain  he  tried  to  convert  her  to  more 
liberal  views  ;  his  imprudent  persistence  only  resulted  in  the 
withdrawal  of  her  favour.  "  All  their  disputes,  which  ended 
finally  in  complete  estrangement,  were  due  to  this  one 
cause."  1 

Choiseul,  whose  position  was  by  no  means  weakened, 
though  he  saw  the  mistress  continually  gain  in  power, 
returned  to  the  attack  at  the  bidding  of  his  vindictive 
sister.  Madame  Du  Barry  replied  to  the  epigrams  that  he 
caused  to  be  circulated  by  a  thousand  railleries  which 
delighted  His  Majesty.  But  though  the  minister  revived 
the  series  of  lampoons,  he  had  to  restrain  their  audacity 
now  that  the  King  had  definitely  named  the  culprits.  He 
threw  the  whole  burden  of  the  conflict  on  Madame  de 
Grammont  and  found  excuses  for  her  passion,  "  which  was 
prompted  by  the  feelings  of  her  heart." 

The  military  f£tes,  which  took  place  towards  the  end  of 
July,  were  destined  to  aggravate  the  discord  between  the 
two  opposing  factions.  A  pleasure  camp  had  been  pitched 
at  Compiegne  where  the  Dauphin  and  his  brothers  were  to 
be  initiated  in  the  arts  of  war.  Mesdames  de  France  were 
present,  but  during  these  three  days  the  centre  of  attraction 
was  the  fair  favourite  in  her  sumptuous  attire,  who  was  seen 
everywhere  driving  her  own  phaeton.  The  young  officers 
were  blind  to  all  but  her,  for  one  and  all  had  been  captivated 
by  her  charm.  There  were  forty- two  battalions  of  infantry, 
a  regiment  of  cavalry  and  artillery  with  forty  guns  under 
the  command  of  the  lieutenant-general,  Baron  de  Wurmser. 
The  troops  were  posted  at  Verberie,  and  marched  past, 
saluting  the  monarch,  who  was  accompanied  by  the  Prin- 
cesses and  his  three  grandsons.  The  Countess  was  similarly 
honoured  by  the  Beauce  regiment,  where  her  brother-in-law, 
the  Chevalier  Du  Barry,  was  a  captain  under  the  command 

1  Sara  Goudar,  writing  in  1777,  insists  with  reason  that  Madame 
Du  Barry  had  not  diminished  the  public  resources  by  alienation  of 
the  Royal  funds  :  "  If  she  had  been  moved  by  that  passion  [avarice] 
she  would  own  to-day  immense  estates,  whereas  she  now  only  enjoys 
a  life  interest,  that  at  her  death  will  occasion  no  loss  to  the  Treasury." 
(Remarques,  p.  123.) 


AN    EMBARRASSING    INVITATION  49 

of  Colonel  de  La  Tour  du  Pin,  who  had  known  the  favourite 
when  she  lived  with  the  Roue.  She  invited  the  officers  of 
this  regiment  to  dinner,  and  received  an  invitation  in 
return,  to  the  indignation  of  the  Minister  of  War,  Monsieur 
de  Choiseul. 

Madame  Denis  wrote  to  Voltaire  describing  in  full  this 
episode,  which  created  such  commotion  : 

I  must  tell  you  of  the  happenings  of  two  days  ago,  as 
they  will  show  you  very  clearly  how  the  land  lies.  Madame 
Du  Barry  has  a  relative  in  the  regiment  of  Chevalier  de  La 
Tour  du  Pin,  Madame  de  Saint- Julien's  brother.  She 
invited  the  whole  regiment  to  dinner  when  in  camp  at 
Compiegne.  The  colonel  was  very  perplexed,  and  Madame 
de  Saint- Julien  went  to  Monsieur  de  Choiseul  to  find  out 
what  her  brother  ought  to  do.  The  minister  replied  angrily  : 
"  He  may  do  as  he  pleases !  "  and  however  much  she  pressed 
him  he  would  say  no  more.  The  colonel  decided  to  allow 
his  officers  to  go  to  Madame  Du  Barry's  dinner,  while  he 
himself,  his  lieutenant-colonel  and  his  major  went  to  dine 
with  Monsieur  de  Choiseul,  having  made  their  excuses  to 
her  ladyship.  I  must  explain  that  when  one  of  these 
three  is  not  at  the  head  of  the  regiment  it  is  no  longer  an 
official  body,  but  only  an  assembly  of  officers  in  their  private 
capacity.  Madame  Du  Barry  pretended  not  to  notice 
this,  and  three  days  later  sent  word  to  the  regiment  that  she 
wished  for  an  invitation  to  dinner.  Madame  de  Saint- 
Julien  again  went  to  the  minister  to  find  out  what  her 
brother  should  do,  and  as  before,  he  received  her  with  an 
ill  grace,  and  told  her  he  would  have  nothing  to  do  with  the 
matter.  The  regiment  decided  to  invite  her  to  dinner, 
together  with  the  Marshal  de  Richelieu,  the  Count  de 
Maillebois  and  several  others.  But  Madame  de  Saint- 
Julien,  who  lived  with  her  brother,  dared  not  stay  to  do 
the  honours  of  the  dinner  and  left  him. 

In  spite  of  all  these  precautions  the  minister  is  furious 
with  the  Chevalier  de  La  Tour  du  Pin  for  having  given  a 
dinner  in  honour  of  Madame  Du  Barry.  He  accused  his 
regiment  of  slovenliness,  although  it  was  one  of  the  finest, 
and  even  spoke  of  it  to  the  King.  He  says  the  most  unheard- 
of  things ;  nevertheless  the  Chevalier  could  not  be  more 


50  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

graciously  treated  by  the  King,  and  is  only  waiting  for  the 
turn  of  the  wheel.  But  the  most  amusing  part  is  that  the 
Duke  is  furious  with  Madame  de  Saint- Julien,  who  never 
was  at  the  dinner.  Perhaps  he  is  disturbed  at  the  desertion 
of  the  Count  de  Maillebois,  who  used  to  be  on  his  side.  The 
latter  is  an  extremely  clever  and  talented  man,  whom  he 
has  always  feared,  and  whom  he  has  kept  in  the  shade  by 
never  letting  him  come  near  the  King.1 

The  King,  who,  according  to  Madame  Denis,  "  was 
passionately  in  love  with  Madame  Du  Barry,"  rejoiced  that 
his  favourite  should  have  enjoyed  so  complete  a  triumph  at 
these  f£tes,  but  was  furious  that  Choiseul,  in  his  exaspera- 
tion at  her  success,  had  intervened,  and  he  wrote  his  minister 
an  admonitory  letter  dealing  at  length  with  his  rights  as 
master : 

I  have  given  you  my  word  to  tell  you  all  that  I  hear  about 
you  and  that  promise  I  now  fulfil.  You  are  said  to  have 
reprimanded  Wurmser,  I  do  not  know  why. 

You  are  said  to  have  reprimanded  the  Chevalier  de  La 
Tour  du  Pin,  because  Madame  Du  Barry  had  dined  at  the 
camp,  and  because  the  majority  of  the  officers  had  dined  with 
her  on  the  day  of  the  review. 

You  have  also  reprimanded  Monsieur  Foulon  on  her 
account. 

You  promised  me  I  should  hear  no  more  said  of  you  in 
connection  with  her. 

I  speak  to  you  in  confidence  and  as  a  friend.  The  public 
may  inveigh  bitterly  against  you  ;  such  is  the  fate  of  minis- 
ters, especially  when  they  are  believed  to  be  opposed  to  their 
master's  friends ;  but  nevertheless,  the  master  is  well 
satisfied  with  their  work,  and  with  yours  in  particular. 

Choiseul' s  dissatisfaction  appears  to  have  been  partly 
justified  in  this  case.  The  anger  he  showed  was  largely  due 
to  the  fears  which  the  success  of  the  Countess  inspired,  for 
he  felt  that  behind  her  his  adversaries  were  intriguing 

1  The  brief  and  trustworthy  account  given  by  Madame  Denis 
has  been  followed  in  preference  to  the  many  other  contemporary 
descriptions  of  this  episode.  This  was  the  time  at  which  Madame 
Denis  was  attempting  to  bring  about  the  return  of  Voltaire  to  Paris, 
and  she  intended  to  enlist  the  support  of  Madame  Du  Barry. 


CHOISEUL'S   DEFENCE  51 

against  him  more  implacably  than  ever.     He  replied  to  his 
sovereign's  note  with  submissive  humility : 

Sire, 

I  am  much  moved  by  the  kindness  and  confidence  with 
which  you  have  distinguished  me ;  I  should  be  unworthy 
of  it  did  I  not  feel  it  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  and 
respond  with  the  sincerity  of  the  devotion  I  owe  you.  .  .  . 
I  cannot  fail  to  believe,  when  I  see  those  who  surround 
Madame  Du  Barry,  and  whom  you,  Sire,  know  at  the 
bottom  of  your  soul  as  well  as  I  do,  that  they  have  especially 
marked  me  out  as  the  subject  of  their  malicious  fictions,  and 
their  desire  to  inflict  injury.  .  .  .  Were  I  not  also 
assured,  Sire,  of  your  goodness  of  heart  and  of  your  discernment 
concerning  the  nature  of  your  Court,  I  should  be  horrified 
at  the  evil  which  has  been  attributed  to  me,  and  of  which 
I  have  been  the  object.  But  having  confidence  in  the 
sentiments  which  I  entertain  towards  your  person,  I  have 
despised  .  .  .  the  slanders,  which  should,  indeed,  never 
be  able  to  affect  one  honoured  with  the  confidence  of  so  good 
a  king,  and  if  I  may  say  so,  Sire,  so  honourable  a  man  as 
Your  Majesty.  ...  I  have  never  in  my  life  had  high 
words  with  Wurmser  ...  I  have  not  reprimanded  him. 
.  .  .  I  have  not  reprimanded  Monsieur  le  Chevalier  de 
Tour  du  Pin.  .  .  .  The  day  when  Your  Majesty 
saw  the  manoeuvres  of  the  forty-two  battalions,  I  was  told 
that  the  Beauce  regiment  had  saluted  Madame  Du  Barry, 
doing  her  the  same  honour  as  it  had  done  Your  Majesty. 
.  .  .  Next  day,  when  I  was  watching  the  manoeuvres 
of  this  brigade,  I  told  Monsieur  de  Rochambeau  that  I  had 
heard  the  Beauce  regiment  had  saluted  other  coaches  than 
those  of  the  Royal  Family,  while  His  Majesty  was  still  before 
the  line  ;  that  this  was  not  right,  and  I  charged  him  to  warn 
Monsieur  de  La  Tour  du  Pin  of  the  unsuitability  of  saluting 
when  the  King  was  in  camp.  .  .  .  After  the  manoeuvres 
I  told  Monsieur  de  La  Tour  du  Pin  that  his  regiment  was 
fine  and  well  turned  out,  but  that  they  did  not  handle  their 
arms  well,  nor  did  they  manoeuvre  with  the  precise  accuracy 
of  the  others.  ...  As  for  Foulon,  I  do  not  remember 
€ver  having  reprimanded  him ;  I  despise  him  because  I 
never  thought  him  honest.  ...  I  have  only  once 
spoken  to  him  of  Madame  Du  Barry,  and  that  was  three 


52  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

weeks  ago,  on  account  of  a  certain  Nallet,  whom  Madame 
Du  Barry  had  recommended  to  me.  I  told  Foulon  very 
definitely  that  I  wished  to  help  this  man  as  she  desired,  and 
that  I  should  blame  him  if  he  did  not  expedite  the  matter. 
.  .  .  If  he  says  that  I  reprimanded  him  with  regard  to 
Madame  Du  Barry  at  any  time  since  I  have  known  him, 
Monsieur  Foulon  is  an  impudent  liar.  .  .  .  You  will  be 
told,  Sire,  that  I  have  faults ;  I  would  willingly  correct 
them,  and  reproach  myself  for  them  as  much  as  ever  my 
enemies  could  do.  ...  7  have  but  two  single  aims  in 
life  ;  to  serve  you  well,  and  to  please  you.  .  .  .  It  is  hard 
to  believe,  Sire,  that  you  do  not  know  of  my  wish  to  please 
you,  */  you  will  deign  to  bear  in  mind  that  I  owe  everything  to 
you,  that  I  have  been  in  your  service  alone  and  never  wish  to 
to  be  in  any  other,  that  in  you  are  united  all  my  sentiments 
of  duty,  personal  devotion  and  gratitude,  and  that  I  serve  you 
for  love  and  for  the  most  zealous  love,  which  is  worth  far  more 
than  ambition  and  talent.  .  .  .J 

Choiseul  made  it  fairly  clear  to  the  King  whom  he  con- 
sidered his  enemies.  Here  he  referred  to  Monsieur  de 
Soubise,  and  particularly  to  Monsieur  de  Richelieu.  The 
hero  of  Port-Mahon,  "  the  Alcibiades  of  the  age,"  had  been 
made  years  younger  by  the  new  part  he  was  playing.2  He 
was  even  now  a  handsome  man  and  had  by  no  means  given 
up  his  claims  to  admiration.  Women  still  appreciated  his 
sparkling  wit,  the  grand  manner  that  came  of  his  ancient 
lineage,  and  they  looked  on  him  as  "an  all-embracing 
genius  .  .  .  vivacious  and  light,  an  inconstant  lover,  a 
tender  and  faithful  friend,  zealous  in  the  service  of  his 
friends  ...  a  man  of  ability  and  power  ...  a 

1  This  letter,  whose  essential  passages  have  been  quoted,  was 
published  by  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  in  the  Revue  de  Paris  of  1829, 
Vol.  IV.,  pp.  50-53.  The  character  of  the  minister  does  not  appear 
in  a  very  favourable  light  when  we  compare  the  letter  with  certain 
passages  in  his  memoirs,  written  after  his  disgrace,  and  full  of 
outbreaks  against  a  master  whom  he  flattered  so  long. 

1  "  The  Marshal  de  Richelieu  has  been  made  years  younger  by  his 
present  position,"  wrote  the  physician  Tronchin  to  his  daughter  on 
June  28.  "  He  seems  to  tread  on  air,  which  is  indeed  his  element. 
He  thinks  no  more  of  his  white  hair  than  if  it  was  as  black  as  ebony. 
These  old  courtiers  at  least  move  one's  pity."  Henri  Tronchin, 
P-  335.  Theodore  Tronchin. 


CONDE   AND   THE   FAVOURITE  53 

steadfast  soul,  a  passionate  heart  and  an  absolute  genius 
for  winning  love."  And  this  portrait,  we  should  remember, 
was  traced  by  a  woman.1  Richelieu  most  certainly 
possessed  qualities  of  real  value  to  the  ambitions  of  his 
family,  but  above  all  he  could  play  the  very  highest  trump 
— the  King's  mistress — against  his  adversaries. 

Such  was  the  opinion  of  the  Prince  de  Conde  when  he 
invited  His  Majesty  and  the  favourite  to  Chantilly,  where 
the  King  had  only  recently  been  entertained  by  his  magnifi- 
cent cousin.  The  Prince  displayed  great  splendour  in  the 
fetes  galantes  he  gave,  and  he  did  the  honours  of  his  estate 
to  Madame  Du  Barry  in  every  respect.  The  harmony  of 
the  party  was  complete ;  the  Marquise  de  1'Hopital,  who 
came  with  her  lover,  Monsieur  de  Soubise,  was  eager  to  join, 
and  only  ladies  desirous  of  paying  court  to  the  Countess  had 
been  included.2  The  King  was  solicitous  for  her  wellbeing  ; 
she  followed  the  hunt  in  a  coach,  "  so  that  no  one  could 
complain  of  being  unable  to  see  her ;  the  public  was  also 
admitted  to  the  suppers  and  fetes,  and  His  Majesty  was 
observed  to  show  ever  greater  inclination  to  pay  her 
attentions  .  .  ." 3 

The  return  of  the  Court  from  Chantilly  was  the  signal  for 
the  biennial  opening  of  the  Louvre.  Two  portraits  of  the 
favourite  were  exhibited,  which  caused  such  a  crush  that 
Horace  Walpole  complained  of  not  being  able  to  move  in 
the  galleries.  But  when  Madame  Du  Barry  went  to  see  the 
exhibition  Monsieur  de  Saint-Florentin  ordered  the  doors  to 
be  closed  to  the  public,  and  she  came  accompanied  only  by 
the  most  celebrated  artists. 

1  Madame  de  Monconseil,  in  the  Portraits  et  Caracteres  of  Senac 
de  Meilhan,  p.  51. 

1 "  So  far  there  are  only  five  women  willing  to  see  her,"  wrote 
Madame  Denis  on  August  10. 

*  Cf.  this  official  account  with  the  particulars  given  in  a  private 
correspondence  :  "  Mesdames  de  Brionne,  de  Choiseul,  de  Grammont, 
de  Beauvais,  d'Egmont,  de  Pecquigny  and  de  Segur,  had  been  struck 
off  the  list  which  the  Prince  de  Conde  presented.  This  event  is  of 
importance,  for  it  may  be  taken  as  the  first  stroke  of  the  rod,  showing 
that  there  is  still  a  rod  to  strike,  which  one  had  doubted.  People 
will  certainly  take  up  an  altogether  different  attitude."  (Letter 
by  Tronchin.) 


54  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

F.  H.  Drouais'  two  portraits  of  the  favourite  were  praised 
to  the  skies  and  in  turn  reviled  by  his  contemporaries.  In 
the  first  she  was  represented  as  the  most  exquisite  of  Floras, 
white  and  delicate  under  her  roses ;  but  perhaps  it  was  a 
little  too  honeyed,  too  thin  according  to  the  critics  of  the 
day.  She  was  given  a  shallow  prettiness  by  the  affected 
artist,  who  lavished  on  his  model  all  the  artifices  of  colouring 
of  his  slender  brush.  The  Countess  is  portrayed  in  a  low- 
necked,  white  satin  gown,  with  a  string  of  pearls  on  the 
shoulder,  and  a  garland  of  roses  crossing  her  slight,  rounded 
bosom.  Her  graciously  poised  head  and  heavy  ringlets  give 
an  ideal  impression  of  youth  ;  the  long,  golden  curls  surround 
a  little  face  whose  mien  is  at  once  affected  and  childlike. 
Under  finely  arched  and  artificially  darkened  brows  her  half- 
closed  blue  eyes  shaded  by  their  long  lashes  look  out  on  the 
world  with  an  expression  that  has  been  called  voluptuous  ; 
yet  how  caressing,  how  tenderly  malicious  it  is ! x  Her 
many  charms  were  enhanced  by  a  wonderful  complexion  of 
dazzling  purity,  for  the  favourite  used  little  rouge,  but  she 
had  instead  four  dark  moles  that,  like  tantalising  patches, 
served  to  set  off  her  lovely  colouring.  These  beauty  spots, 
beloved  by  Louis  XV.,  are  clearly  visible  in  Beauvarlet's 
engraving  of  the  second  portrait,  whose  original  has  been 
lost.  Here  Madame  Du  Barry  is  wearing  a  riding  habit 
with  a  man's  jacket  of  grey  silk  over  a  half-open  waistcoat, 
showing  a  fichu  of  Brussels  point.  The  lines  of  her  rounded 
bust  are  but  slightly  defined  under  the  lace,  though  the  fair 
lady  was  proud  of  her  charming  person  and  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  concealing  her  beauty.  The  critics  consequently 
declared  they  had  been  robbed,  and  Diderot  speaks  con- 
temptuously of  the  "  thin,  spare  slenderness  "  of  her  figure. 
But  in  spite  of  these  adverse  views  the  lovely  huntress  is  not 
to  be  denied  a  very  attractive  shapeliness  of  form.  These 
two  pictures,  the  first  to  perpetuate  the  beauty  of  the 

1  Drouais  has  been  criticised  for  not  portraying  truthfully  the 
charms  of  his  sitter.  "  In  both  cases  he  gives  her  a  mincing  expres- 
sion, called  by  young  sparks  regard  en  coulisse,  and  never  worn  by 
this  lady,  who  is  always  so  straightforward,  frank  and  open.  .  .  ." 


MADAME    I)U    BARRY 
From  a  painting  by  Dranais,  ij(x) 


VOLTAIRE'S   FRIENDSHIP  55 

favourite,  became  the  talk  of  Paris.  Engravings  were 
bought  all  over  Europe,  and  several  poets  hastened  to  sing 
the  praises  of  the  new  divinity  : 

SUR  LE  DOUBLE  PORTRAIT  DE  MADAME  Du  BARRY. 

Quels  yeux  !   que  d'attraits  I   qu'elle  est  belle  I 

Est-ce  une  divinit6  ? 

Non,  c'est  une  simple  mortelle 

Qui  le  dispute  a  la  beaute. 

Entre  vous  qui  decidera, 

Beau  cavalier,  aimable  Flore  T 

L'Olympe  jaloux  se  taira 

Et  1'Univers  surpris  admire  et  doute  encore  I 

In  the  eighteenth  century  women  were  of  small  account 
who  could  not  boast  the  fellowship  of  the  literary  world. 
Madame  Du  Barry's  long  intercourse  with  men  of  letters 
served  her  in  good  stead,  and  we  may  imagine  with  what 
enthusiasm  she  took  up  the  idea  of  winning  his  friendship, 
who  was  the  undoubted  master  of  them  all.  Voltaire  had 
for  long  been  away  from  Paris  and  was  anxious  to  return. 
But  even  to  live  one  winter  in  the  capital  he  had  to  obtain 
the  King's  consent  and  win  the  favour  of  Choiseul ;  and 
matters  were  still  further  complicated  by  the  recent  publica- 
tion of  his  daring  Histoire  des  Parlements,  even  though  he 
disclaimed  its  authorship.  Madame  Denis  had  in  great 
secrecy  spoken  to  Richelieu  of  the  proposed  visit  to  Paris, 
and  he  had  promised  that  the  favourite  would  remove  all 
difficulties  to  be  encountered  on  the  part  of  the  King.  "  I 
have  prevailed  upon  a  man,  who  at  present  prefers  to  be 
nameless,"  she  wrote  to  her  uncle,  "  to  persuade  Madame 
Du  Barry  to  speak  of  you  to  the  King,  telling  him  that  she 
is  very  desirous  of  seeing  you.  It  remains  to  be  seen  what 
the  King  will  say.  Monsieur  dc  Choiseul  must  on  no  account 
hear  of  it.  I  shall  have  an  answer  in  a  week  at  the  latest, 
and  if  it  is  favourable  I  think  we  need  hesitate  no  longer, 
for  you  will  then  have  on  the  one  side  this  woman's  influence 
over  the  King  and  on  the  other  the  friendship  of  the 
Choiseuls." 

The  Countess  was  charmed  to  do  the  great  man  such  a 
service,  and  suggested  his  return  to  the  King  "  as  if  of  her 


56  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

own  accord."  He  smiled  and  said,  "I  shall  let  you  know 
in  ten  days  what  I  think  of  it."  Madame  Du  Barry  reported 
the  smile  to  Richelieu  who  in  turn  told  Madame  Denis,  and 
everyone  was  full  of  hope.  "  Without  exactly  asking  for 
his  recall,"  Madame  Du  Barry  spoke  often  of  Voltaire  to 
His  Majesty  and  received  "  gracious  and  flattering  replies." 
Richelieu,  when  he  left  for  Fontainebleau,  told  Madame 
Denis  "  to  consider  the  matter  settled,"  and  promised  to 
engage  the  interest  of  Monsieur  de  Saint-Florentin.  Every- 
thing was  done  with  the  greatest  possible  secrecy  in  order 
to  keep  Choiseul  in  ignorance  of  the  intervention  of  the 
Countess.  But  the  days  went  by  and  autumn  drew  to  its 
close  ;  nothing  was  decided,  and  the  illustrious  philosopher 
began  to  lose  patience.  Besides,  the  idea  of  the  journey 
attracted  him  much  less  than  his  niece,  while  the  delicate 
state  of  his  health  was  a  consideration  urging  him  to  remain. 
But  from  that  time  on  he  was  full  of  gratitude  to  the  young 
favourite  who  had  so  eagerly  sought  to  serve  him. 

Richelieu  had  been  seeking  a  favourable  opportunity  to 
introduce  his  nephew,  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  at  Court,  and 
at  Fontainebleau  decided  that  the  right  moment  had 
arrived.  The  death  of  the  Duke  de  Chaulnes  had  created  a 
vacancy  in  the  captaincy  of  the  Royal  Bodyguards,  and 
Monsieur  de  Choiseul  intended  to  buy  the  commission  for 
his  relative,  the  Viscount  of  the  same  name.  But  he  was 
anticipated  by  the  Marshal,  who,  thanks  to  the  help  of  the 
favourite,  obtained  it  for  d'Aiguillon.  Choiseul  was  all  the 
more  likely  to  feel  the  blow,  because  it  gave  his  adversary 
the  considerable  advantage  of  a  supporter  who  had  direct 
access  to  the  King  under  whom  he  would  have  to  work. 
For  the  first  time  he  realised  that  the  Countess  "was 
rapidly  acquiring  sovereign  power,"  and  he  determined  to 
ask  audience  of  her.  But  Richelieu  had  put  her  on  her 
guard,  and  strengthened  by  his  counsels  she  was  able  to 
receive  her  enemy  with  confidence.  The  interview  lasted 
three  hours,  but  though  much  wit  and  cleverness  was  shown 
on  both  sides,  the  situation  remained  unaltered.  Madame 
Du  Deffand  wrote  to  Walpole :  "  '  Grandpapa '  appears  to  be 


A   REBUFF   FOR   CHOISEUL  57 

very  well  satisfied,  though  not  altogether  free  from  anxiety ; 
her  ladyship  no  longer  conceals  her  hatred  of  him,  and  the 
conversation  he  had  with  her  when  you  were  here  was  a 
mistake  on  his  part,  since  it  resulted  in  nothing.  Every 
day  he  suffers  some  small  indignity,  such  as  not  being  invited 
to  Cabinet  suppers  ;  and  from  her  he  gets  grimaces  when  he 
is  her  partner  at  whist,  and  flouting  and  shrugging  of 
shoulders,  little  schoolgirl  spitefulnesses  that  do  not  fail  to 
lose  him  the  respect  of  certain  foolish  people ;  but  this  is  of 
small  account." 

The  Duchess  de  Grammont  had  sought  in  Holland 
•consolation  for  her  disappointments,  and  must  have  felt 
great  vexation  on  hearing  of  this  attempt  at  reconciliation, 
which  had  now  become  an  event  of  political  importance. 
"  The  affairs  of  our  all-powerful  minister  are  as  easily 
affected  by  the  smallest  trifle  as  the  cheeks  of  our  ladies  of 
fashion  by  the  least  change  in  the  weather,"  wrote  Tronchin. 
"  His  adversaries  are  growing  in  power  daily,  and  although 
nothing  is  as  yet  actually  known,  the  general  opinion  seems 
to  be  that  he  will  not  succeed  hi  overcoming  them."  Of 
course  the  minister  was  vigorously  lampooned  : 

Vive  le  Roi !     Foin  de  1'Amour  1 
Le  drdle  m'a  jou6  un  tour 
Qui  peut  confondre  mon  audace. 
La  Du  Barry,  pour  moi  de  glace, 
Va,  dit-on,  changer  mes  destins  ; 
Jadis  je  dus  ma  fortune  aux  ca  .     .     . 
Je  leur  devrai  done  ma  disgrace  I 

Choiseul  attempted  to  put  a  good  face  on  the  matter.  He 
Avas  often  away,  he  visited  the  cavalry  camp  at  Metz  with 
a  Prince  of  the  Blood,  the  Duke  de  Chartres,  and  at  Chante- 
loup  he  displayed  such  magnificence  that  the  newsmongers 
commented  on  his  "  forty  waiters  at  table,  two  companies 
of  players  engaged  to  amuse  the  guests,  and  the  rest  on  the 
same  scale." 

In  the  meanwhile  the  King  was  hunting  at  Fontainebleau, 
and  on  September  28  he  shot  two  stags  in  the  forest  of  Se"nart. 
The  villagers  flocked  to  gaze  at  his  beautiful  mistress,  who 
rode  after  the  hunt  in  a  man's  habit.  Among  the  many 


58  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

ladies  who  accompanied  her  were  Madame  de  Mirepoix,  the 
Duchesses  de  Montmorency  and  de  Valentinois,  and  the 
Marquise  de  I'Hopital.  The  brilliant  company  dined 
sumptuously  at  Croix-Fontaine,  where  the  financier  Bouret 
entertained  them  in  his  "  Pavilion  du  Roi."  Afterwards 
the  gallant  farmer-general  presented  His  Majesty  with  a 
Venus  by  Coustou,  the  head  of  which  had  been  cleverly 
altered  to  reproduce  the  features  of  the  favourite. 

This  signal  mark  of  homage  gave  rise  to  a  most  piquant 
episode.  Monsieur  de  Lauraguais,  a  friend  of  the  Choiseuls, 
conceived  the  idea  of  producing  a  young  woman  at  Fontaine- 
bleau  of  great  beauty  and  no  character,  whom  he  called  the 
Countess  du  Tonneau.  A  caricature  was  published  "  repre- 
senting the  favourite  in  full  dress,  seated  on  a  barrel."  In 
Madame  de  Pompadour's  time  the  impudent  author  of  this 
design  would  have  run  the  risk  of  imprisonment  in  the 
Bastille,  but  under  the  gentle  reign  of  the  Countess  he  was 
let  off  with  an  enforced  sojourn  in  England. 

As  a  rule  Madame  Du  Barry  took  no  notice  of  the  affronts 
put  upon  her,  but  this  one  was  beyond  endurance.  She 
showed  that  it  had  really  touched  her  to  the  quick,  and 
appeared  no  more  in  public.  She  was,  moreover,  worn  out 
by  all  the  Court  festivities,  and  was  glad  simply  to  allow 
herself  to  be  adored  by  the  King  in  peaceful  privacy  at 
Fontainebleau.  The  Countess  occupied  the  same  suite  of 
apartments  on  the  ground  floor  below  those  of  the  King, 
that  had  formerly  belonged  to  Madame  de  Pompadour. 
Most  often  she  received  His  Majesty  in  the  great  drawing- 
room  looking  out  on  the  groves  of  the  Cour  de  Diane  with 
their  melodious  fountains. 

Louis  XV.  could  no  longer  boast  the  exquisite  grace  of 
his  youth  when  "  he  rivalled  in  beauty  the  god  of  Love 
himself,"  as  Rigaud,  Van  Loo  and  Nattier  have  shown  ;  yet 
the  weary  years  had  not  robbed  him  of  his  charm.  Drouais 
in  1773  was  the  last  to  paint  the  monarch,  and  did  full 
justice  to  his  grand  manner  and  to  the  infinite  sadness  of 
his  eyes,  haunted  by  mysticism  and  sensual  withal.  There 
had  always  been  a  fascination  in  his  countenance,  with  its 


A   HARASSED    KING  59 

look  of  royalty,  and  in  his  nature,  which  was  in  turn  so 
hesitating  and  so  abrupt,  so  full  of  contrasts  and  incon- 
sistencies. He  was  still  "  the  elusive,"  "  the  indefinable," 
as  Madame  de  Pompadour  had  dubbed  him,  as  reserved 
and  silent  as  his  ill-regulated  childhood  had  led  one  to 
expect ;  and  pride  in  his  sovereignty  had  isolated  him  still 
more. 

His  quickness  of  understanding  had  only  accentuated  his 
indecision  of  character  ;  he  could  never  choose,  and  because 
of  this  quality  of  complete  detachment  his  actions  were 
usually  governed  by  his  mistresses,  his  ministers,  or  the 
passing  influence  of  his  surroundings.  His  one  vivid  desire, 
that  of  the  senses,  could  never  be  slaked ;  and  to  this 
torture  of  the  flesh  was  added  his  deep  thirst  for  celestial 
things,  the  thirst  of  a  Christian  soul  trembling  on  the  verge 
of  eternity.  The  melancholy  with  which  he  spoke  of  suffer- 
ing and  death  was  never  so  great  as  after  a  night  of  self- 
indulgence. 

Always  he  had  kept  his  troubles  to  himself,  but  now  with 
increasing  age  his  spirit  failed,  and  to  gentle,  compassionate 
Madame  Du  Barry  he  would  pour  out  all  his  anguish  of 
heart,  the  cares  of  his  crown,  his  fear  of  the  morrow  at  the 
threats  of  philosophers  and  the  murmurs  of  his  people.  She 
could  console  him,  and  find  words  to  lull  his  misery ;  and 
succeeded  sometimes  in  restoring  him  to  confidence  and 
serenity. 

Her  intimate  friends  came  to  pay  their  court  to  the 
favourite  in  her  salon  at  Fontainebleau,  and  first  among 
them  was  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  who  was  drawn  to  her  by 
love  as  much  as  by  self-interest,  for  he  had  fallen  a  victim  to- 
the  charms  of  his  patroness.  She  even  induced  him  to  give 
Adolphe  Du  Barry  a  supernumerary  cornetcy  in  his  regi- 
ment in  the  place  of  the  Duke  de  Pecquigny,  who  had  suc- 
ceeded to  his  father's  title  as  Duke  de  Chaulnes.  Adolphe 
was  the  only  one  of  her  connections  of  whom  Madame  Du 
Barry  made  a  protege.  The  Roue,  for  instance,  who  had 
dared  to  beg  for  the  appointment  of  his  friend,  Genee  de 
Brocheau,  as  minister  of  finance,  was  advised  to  travel  for 


60  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

his  health  and  drink  the  waters,  for  which  in  his  imprudent 
ignorance  he  imagined  he  had  no  use. 

Next  to  hunting  the  theatre  was  the  chief  amusement  of 
the  autumn  season.  "  The  first  performance  was  that  of 
Merope  and  the  Sauvages,  and  was  not  very  entertaining," 
wrote  the  Master  of  the  Ceremonies.  "  The  following  day 
Jsabelle  et  Gertrude  and  Le  Deserteur  were  acted.  The  King 
did  not  hide  that  he  was  extremely  bored  by  the  plays, 
especially  on  account  of  their  length."  But  perhaps  he 
missed  his  favourite  who  added  such  lustre  to  these  enter- 
tainments. After  the  insult  offered  her  by  Lauraguais,  she 
never  appeared  except  hi  a  private  box,  and  hence  His 
Majesty's  display  of  moodiness. 

One  day  about  this  time  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  introduced 
to  the  favourite  a  young  officer  of  his  company  who  desired 
to  address  a  petition  to  her.  This  was  Monsieur  de  Belleval 
of  the  light  cavalry,  and  he  came  to  beg  for  the  life  of  a 
deserter.  The  man  Carpentier  had  enlisted  and  served  with 
zeal  in  the  Provins  regiment,  but  in  an  attack  of  home- 
sickness had  fled,  taking  with  him  his  horse  and  his  uniform. 
He  was  seized,  tried  and  condemned  to  death.  In  his 
distress  he  turned  to  Monsieur  de  Belleval,  who  applied  to 
d'Aiguillon.  '  You  cannot  obtain  what  you  want  through 
me,"  said  the  Duke,  "  but  through  Madame  Du  Barry." 
The  officer  was  introduced  to  the  favourite  and  thus  relates 
his  introduction : 

I  had  already  seen  the  Countess  several  times,  but  only 
from  afar,  so  that,  though  I  could  appreciate  the  general 
effect  of  her  celebrated  beauty,  I  could  not  observe  its 
details.  She  was  carelessly  seated,  or  rather  reclining,  in  a 
large  easy  chair,  and  she  wore  a  white  dress  with  wreaths 
of  roses  that  I  can  still  see  before  me.  .  .  .  Madame 
Du  Barry  was  one  of  the  prettiest  women  at  a  Court  which 
could  boast  so  many,  and  certainly  the  perfection  of  her 
loveliness  made  her  the  most  fascinating.  Her  hair,  which 
she  often  wore  unpowdered,  was  of  a  beautiful  golden 
colour,  and  she  had  so  much  that  she  scarcely  knew  what 
to  do  with  it  all ;  her  wide  blue  eyes  looked  with  engaging 
frankness  at  him  to  whom  she  spoke.  She  had  a  straight 


THE   FAVOURITE'S    POPULARITY  61 

little  nose,  and  a  complexion  of  dazzling  purity.  In  a  word, 
one  was  soon  under  her  charm,  as  happened  to  me  so  soon  that 
I  wellnigh  forgot  my  petition  in  the  delight  of  beholding  her. 

The  Duke  gallantly  drew  her  attention  to  the  young 
"  red-coat's  "  flattering  agitation,  but  the  latter  soon  re- 
covered his  composure,  and  urged  the  confidence  placed  in 
her  by  the  whole  regiment  on  behalf  of  the  unfortunate  man. 
"  I  promise  to  speak  to  the  King,"  she  replied,  "  and  I  hope 
His  Majesty  will  not  deny  me  this  favour.  Monsieur  le  Due 
is  well  aware  that  his  friends  are  mine,  and  I  am  grateful 
to  him  for  not  forgetting  it."  With  a  few  more  gracious 
words  she  dismissed  them  ;  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  kissed  her 
hand,  saying :  "  You  grant  this  to  the  captain  ;  have  you 
nothing  for  the  company  ?  "  She  smiled,  and  held  out  her 
pretty  hand  to  Belleval. 

On  the  following  day  a  footman  wearing  the  livery  of  the 
Countess  brought  him  the  message  that  he  was  expected, 
and  at  six  o'clock  he  was  admitted  to  the  favourite's  apart- 
ment. There  were  many  people  present,  among  them  the 
King  leaning  against  the  fireplace.  As  soon  as  she  saw  the 
young  officer,  Madame  Du  Barry  exclaimed :  "  Sire,  here 
is  my  '  redcoat '  come  to  thank  Your  Majesty  !  "  "  You 
must  first  thank  Madame  la  Comtesse,"  replied  Louis  XV., 
"  and  tell  your  protege  that  he  must  blot  out  the  memory 
of  his  fault  by  his  zealous  attention  to  duty."  The  good 
news  was  brought  to  Provins  the  very  same  evening,  and 
created  much  youthful  enthusiasm  among  the  officers. 

These  evidences  of  popularity  caused  Choiseul  greater 
anxiety  than  he  cared  to  show ;  but  he  was  so  clever  in 
hiding  his  feelings  that  Madame  Du  Deffand  could  write  to 
Walpole  when  informing  him  of  the  appointment  of  the  new 
minister  of  finance : 

I  supped  on  Tuesday  with  "  grandpapa  "  ;  he  was, 
as  usual,  extremely  gay  and  cheerful ;  he  will  be  like  Charles 
VII.,  of  whom  it  was  said  that  "  never  was  kingdom  more 
gaily  lost."  You  know  that  we  have  a  new  Minister  of 
Finance,  the  Abbe  Terray  ;  he  is  a  man  of  over  sixty,  who  is 
a  King's  Councillor,  has  won  a  Parliamentary  reputation, 


62  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

and  is  at  the  head  of  Monsieur  le  Prince  de  Conde's  council. 
He  has  an  income  of  fifty  million  crowns.  Do  you  think 
he  would  have  accepted  the  office  if  he  had  not  felt  certain 
of  his  power  to  acquit  himself  well  ?  He  owes  his  nomina- 
tion to  the  chancellor.  .  .  .  When  Monsieur  d'Invault 
sent  in  his  resignation,  the  King  called  a  committee  at  the 
Chancellor's  of  the  four  Secretaries  of  State,  Messieurs  de 
Choiseul  and  de  Praslin,  Bertin  and  Saint-Florentin,  so  that 
they  might  discuss  whom  to  choose.  Several  people  were 
proposed,  among  others  the  Archbishop  of  Toulouse ; 
«very  one  kept  back  his  opinion  so  that  nothing  should 
prevent  him  from  being  the  very  humble  servant  of  him  who 
was  nominated.  This  committee  met  on  Tuesday  the  igih, 
and  on  Wednesday  morning  the  Abbe  Terray  was  appointed. 

The  new  minister  of  finance,  being  a  man  of  parts,  was  not 
slow  in  showing  his  devotion  to  Madame  Du  Barry.  Her 
position  was  now  secure,  and  she  dealt  with  Choiseul  with 
ever-growing  assurance.  On  November  16,  1769,  she  sent 
him  a  note,  and  with  playful  irony,  reminded  him  of  the 
promise  he  had  made  six  months  ago  to  her  protege  Nallet : 

You  have  been  mistaken  in  your  counsellors,  Monsieur  le 
Due,  or  you  would  not  have  written  to  me  six  months  ago 
that,  since  the  supplies  for  the  Corsican  battalions  had  best 
be  contracted  for,  you  would,  as  soon  as  the  Sieur  Delisle 
had  arrived,  engage  the  Sieur  Nallet,  with  whose  services 
you  were  quite  satisfied.  It  seems  that  the  former  adminis- 
trator has  other  plans  in  view  than  yours,  since  he  is  so  slow 
to  obey  your  orders.  You  must  feel  as  I  do  how  little  his 
presence  here  is  required  for  the  carrying  out  of  your  wishes. 
Whether  he  arrives  or  not  you  can  thus  employ  the  Sieur 
Nallet,  if  you  insist  in  believing  him  capable  of  satisfactorily 
performing  his  duties  ;  but  should  you  have  changed  your 
mind,  Monsieur  le  Due,  do  not  let  us  refer  to  the  matter 
again.  I  shall  be  none  the  less  assured  of  your  readiness 
to  do  anything  that  may  be  agreeable  to  me. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be  with  the  deepest  respect,  Monsieur 

le  Due 

Your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

La  Comtesse  Du  Barry.1 

1  The  Revue  de  Paris  for  1829  also  published  a  note  from  the 
Countess  thanking  Monsieur  de  Choiseul  for  his  kindness  in  having 


A    FANTASTIC    STORY  63 

This  letter  with  its  restrained  irony  and  light  touch  of 
impertinence  must  have  given  Monsieur  de  Choiseul  food 
for  reflection. 

The  writer  who  has  most  generously  supplied  the  bio- 
graphies of  Madame  Du  Barry  with  anecdotes,  invented  a 
very  amusing  inaugural  scene  for  the  year  1770.  "  On  the 
first  day  of  January,  Madame  Du  Barry  entered  the  King's 
apartment  with  great  liveliness  of  manner,  and  said  she  had 
come  to  ask  for  her  New  Year's  gift,  namely  the  '  loges  de 
Nantes  '  .  .  . 1  She  added  that  it  was  for  her  dear 
friend,  Madame  de  Mirepoix.  The  King  smiled,  and 
replied  :  '  Madame,  I  grieve  to  say  that  I  cannot  grant  you 
this  favour,  as  I  have  already  disposed  of  the  loges.'  Pouts 
from  the  fair  Countess,  and  the  reply :  '  Very  well,  this  is 
the  fourth  time  you  have  refused  me  a  favour  ;  deuce  take 
me,  if  I  ever  trouble  you  again.'  '  You  are  quick  to  pout,' 
answered  His  Majesty,  '  I  can  do  no  more,  for  the  gift  is 
already  promised,  and  to  whom  do  you  think,  Madame  ? 
To  you.' ' 

Pidansat  de  Mayrobert,  the  chronicler  of  this  event,  was 
evidently  little  acquainted  with  Court  etiquette ;  custom 
did  not  permit  one  to  rush  in  to  the  King  like  that,  especially 
on  January  i.  Besides,  the  favourite  knew  Louis  XV.  too 
well  to  dare  to  make  such  a  demand  so  directly  and  in  such 
a  manner.  Yet  it  was  a  fact  that  she  had  written  some  time 
previously  to  the  sovereign,  requesting  the  concession  of 
the  '  loges  de  Nantes  '  to  Madame  de  Mirepoix,  and  that  on 
December  23,  His  Majesty  signed  the  letters  patent  granting 
the  income  derived  from  these  shops  to  Madame  Du  Barry 
herself. 

Madame  de  Mirepoix  lost  nothing  by  this  decision.  The 
King  was  grateful  to  her  for  having  been  willing  to  protect 

allowed  "  her  brother  "  to  keep  his  company  of  dragoons.  The 
Goncourts  were  deceived  by  the  facsimiles  submitted  to  the  Revue 
by  Choiseul,  and  were  surprised  to  see  "  the  unformed  letters  of  a 
child,  who  had  just  begun  to  write."  But  the  notes  were  dictated 
to  Chon,  and  only  the  signature  was  written  by  Madame  Du  Barry 
herself. 

1  The  revenue  derived  from  certain  shops. 


64  A     KING'S   FAVOURITE 

the  favourite  from  the  first.  She  had  similarly  been 
intimate  with  Madame  de  Pompadour,  but  then  she  was  on 
the  side  of  her  friends,  the  Choiseuls,  and  of  her  brother, 
the  Prince  de  Beauvau.  Her  kindness  to  Madame  Du  Barry 
may  be  traced  to  the  influence  of  her  enormous  debts,  which 
only  Louis  XV.  could  reduce.  Besides  gambling,  this  great 
lady,  whose  beauty  was  still  so  youthful,  who  was  always 
"  so  gentle  and  obliging,"  had  one  other  passion,  a  sincere 
love  for  her  husband.  Such  a  state  of  affairs  was  rare  and 
even  a  little  ridiculous  in  the  eighteenth  century,  but  the 
delightful  woman  had  a  gifted  personality  and  could  save 
the  situation.  She  seldom  left  Versailles,  and  was  counted 
among  the  favourite's  faithful  soupeuses. 

After  the  debotti  the  company  usually  repaired  to  the 
King's  apartment  on  the  first  floor  for  supper  and  for  cards. 
These  rooms  had  formerly  belonged  to  Madame  Adelaide, 
but  she  now  occupied  Madame  de  Pompadour's  last  quarters 
on  the  ground  floor,  an  arrangement  which  left  free  the 
whole  floor  of  the  "  Petits  Cabinets  "  for  the  mistress,  as 
His  Majesty  had  desired.  The  "  Petits  Cabinets,"  where 
Louis  XV.  and  his  guests  used  formerly  to  spend  the  evening, 
were  at  the  top  of  the  building  above  the  Royal  bedchamber 
and  its  adjoining  rooms,  and  formed  part  of  the  King's  suite 
of  apartments.1  In  this  silent  quarter  of  Versailles  the 
Sovereign  could  withdraw  from  the  world  of  politics  and 
parade,  and  here  he  lodged  Marie- Josephe  de  Saxe  during 
her  widowhood.  Here,  too,  she  died  of  grief  on  March  13, 
1767,  and  three  years  later  the  rooms  were  assigned  to 
Madame  Du  Barry. 

Successive  occupants  have  made  of  the  place  a  delightful 
dwelling.  The  narrow,  low-ceiled  rooms  have  even  now  an 
intimate  charm,  and  the  effect  of  the  plain  white-and-gold 
of  the  decoration  is  most  happy.  But  they  are  full  of  sad 
memories,  fading  indeed  with  the  years,  though  the  gold  of 
the  mirrors  and  panels  still  shines  bright.  We  should  have 

JP.  de  Nolhac,  Le  Chateau  de  Versailles  sous  Louis  XV.,  whose 
thorough  researches  have  corrected  the  many  inaccuracies  of  the 
historians  on  this  point. 


AN    INFORMAL   COURT  65 

seen  them  when  the  beautiful  mistress  was  at  the  height  of 
her  glory,  when  courtiers  came  to  pay  her  devoted  homage, 
especially  when  in  the  evening  the  lights  brought  out  the 
rarity  of  the  furniture,  the  incomparable  beauty  of  the 
inlaid  work,  of  chased  bronzes  and  of  painted  porcelain,  of 
the  heavy  carpets  on  which  trailed  the  long  panier-dresses 
of  the  great  ladies  who  formed  the  court  of  the  favourite, 
the  Duchess  de  Valentinois,  Madame  de  1'Hopital,  the 
Princess  de  Talmont,  Mesdames  de  Montmorency  and 
d'Aiguillon,  and  many  others. 

Mademoiselle  Chon  Du  Barry's  apartments  adjoined  those 
of  her  sister-in-law.  In  the  numerous  cabinets  on  the  same 
floor  and  above  it  Louis  XV.  kept  his  aviary,  his  store  of 
sweetmeats,  his  library,  which  contained  numerous  geo- 
graphical charts,  and  bracketed  to  a  narrow  window  was 
his  telescope,  with  which  he  studied  the  stars,  and  with 
which  he  could  descry  from  afar  the  equipages  of  his 
courtiers  in  the  Avenue  de  Paris. 

The  Duke  de  Croy  has  described  in  his  journal  the  general 
feeling  at  Versailles  at  this  time  :  "I  observed  that  by 
degrees  people  went  more  and  more  to  see  the  Countess. 
She  had  been  given  the  '  Cabinets '  rooms,  which  formerly 
belonged  to  Madame  the  late  Dauphine.  All  this  gave 
her  the  advantage  of  being  treated  openly  as  a  lady  of  the 
Court ;  she  was,  with  everyone  else,  present  at  all  the  enter- 
tainments, and  one  became  accustomed  to  it.  Thus  she 
gained  much,  but  she  appeared  to  have  no  aptitude  for 
intrigue  ;  she  loved  dress,  and  to  be  seen  everywhere 
without  showing  any  desire  to  intervene  in  State  affairs. 
.  .  .  Her  manner  to  the  other  ladies  seemed  respect- 
ful, and  she  never  ventured  too  far.  Altogether,  I  was 
inclined  to  believe  that  people  would  become  accustomed 
to  her,  and  that  perhaps  she  had  no  ambition  to  become 
other  than  she  was." 

But  the  Countess  was  more  powerful  than  the  old  courtier 

realised.    At  that  time  Choiseul  himself  would  have  yielded, 

and  wished  for  a  reconciliation  with  the  mistress,  but  the 

latter  was  no  longer  prepared  to  "  meet  him  half  way." 

F 


66  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

He  confided  the  anxiety  this  caused  him  to  the  Marquise 
Du  Deffand,  and  one  of  her  friends  composed  the  following 
lines,  whose  vivacity  masks  their  serious  intent : 

A  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barry,  a  1'occasion  de  sa  division  avec 

Monsieur  de  Choiseul. 

Deesse  des  plaisirs,  tendre  mere  des  Graces, 
Pourquoi  veux-tu  meler  aux  fetes  de  Paphos 
Les  noirs  soup5ons,  les  honteuses  disgraces  ? 
Ah  !  pourquoi  mediter  la  perte  d'un  Heros  ?  .     .     . 

Soumets  les  dieux  a  ton  empire  ; 
Venus  sur  tous  les  cceurs  regne  par  sa  beaute  ; 

Cueilles  dans  un  riant  delire 

Les  roses  de  la  volupte  ; 

Et  rends  le  calme  a  Neptune  agite  ! 
Ulysse,  ce  mortel  aux  Troyens  formidable 

Que  tu  poursuis  dans  ton  courroux, 

Pour  la  beaute  n'est  redoutable 

Qu'en  soupirant  a  ses  genoux. 

The  authority  of  the  Abbe  Terray,  who  was  himself  so 
unsparingly  lampooned,  was  increasing  ;  Monsieur  d'Aiguil- 
lon  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with  the  mistress  ;  on  all  sides 
unfavourable  signs  were  accumulating  against  Monsieur  de 
Choiseul,  and  Madame  Du  Deffand,  who  had  for  so  long 
trusted  in  "  Grandpapa's  "  star,  wrote  to  Walpole  : 

Until  now  our  friend  has  kept  a  good  face  on  the  matter, 
but  I  doubt  whether  we  shall  reach  the  end  of  the  year  with- 
out some  great  change  in  the  state  of  affairs.  ...  La 
Du  Barry  by  herself  is  of  no  consequence,  she  is  a  stick  for 
the  support  of  others.  ...  It  was  "  Grandpapa's  "  fault 
that  he  did  not  do  as  he  liked  with  her  ;  I  cannot  believe  that 
his  conduct  has  been  right,  or  that  his  pride  has  been 
well-judged.  In  my  opinion  Mesdames  de  Beauvau  and  de 
Grammont  have  proved  unwise  counsellors.  At  present 
he  has  another  friend  who  does  not  agree  with  these  ladies, 
but  who  cannot  diminish  their  ascendancy  over  him ; 
this  lady  is  Madame  De  Brionne.  ...  I  think  she  will 
cost  him  a  great  deal  of  money. 

With  the  arrival  of  the  Archduchess  Marie  Antoinette, 
the  minister's  prestige  rose  again,  at  least  temporarily. 
The  contemplated  union  between  Maria  Theresa's  daughter 
and  the  heir  to  the  throne  of  France  had  been  the  work  of 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE  67 

Choiseul,  and  the  young  Dauphine  would  no  doubt  prove 
grateful  to  him.  Madame  Du  Barry  had  been  inspired  with 
such  diffidence  by  her  enemies  that  she  hesitated  to  appear 
at  the  approaching  entertainments.  "  There  was  much  dis- 
cussion," wrote  the  Duke  de  Croy,  "  whether  the  favourite 
was  going  to  the  wedding  or  not.  She  had  ordered 
several  charming  costumes,  for  she  loved  dress  and  would 
have  been  inconsolable  at  not  being  allowed  to  come."  Never- 
theless, she  made  all  arrangements  for  leaving  the  Court 
until  after  the  marriage  celebration,  but  Richelieu,  who  was 
prudent  and  knew  his  sovereign,  saved  her  from  committing 
such  an  irretrievable  indiscretion. 

The  fair  Archduchess  came,  travelling  by  short  stages, 
amid  the  acclamations  of  the  crowds  lining  the  route,  who 
hailed  her  as  a  pledge  of  peace.  On  the  eve  of  May  14 
Louis  XV.  and  the  Dauphin,  together  with  the  Royal 
Family,  arrived  at  Compiegne,  where  they  intended  to 
receive  her.  The  following  day  a  brilliant  cortege  was 
formed  which  went  to  meet  her  in  the  forest.  Mesdames 
de  France  and  all  the  ladies  were  in  full  dress,  the  King 
and  the  Princes  were  wearing  the  decoration  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  The  coaches  advanced  slowly  to  the  sound  of  drum 
and  clarion  as  far  as  the  border  of  the  wood,  where  Louis 
descended,  for  there  before  them  came  the  graceful  young 
bride  of  fifteen.  She  was  neither  tall  nor  beautiful,  but  her 
figure  was  lithe  and  slender,  and  she  had  laughing  eyes  and 
a  dazzling  complexion.  She  jumped  from  her  carriage,  and 
in  an  instant  was  at  the  feet  of  the  King ;  he  raised  her, 
clasping  her  in  his  arms,  and  then  presented  her  to  the 
Dauphin  and  Mesdames,  who  embraced  her  in  turn.  The 
next  day  Marie  Antoinette  was  taken  to  the  chateau  of 
La  Muette,  where  she  was  received  by  her  young  brothers- 
in-law,  the  Count  de  Provence  and  the  Count  d'Artois.  In 
the  evening  the  King  supped  there  "  with  Monsieur  le 
Dauphin,  Madame  la  Dauphine,  the  Royal  Family,  some 
Princes  and  Princesses  of  the  Blood,  the  ladies-in-waiting 
and  several  other  members  of  the  high  nobility.  The  Coun- 
tess Du  Barry  was  also  present."  She  was  indeed  the  most 


68  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

beautiful  of  the  forty  great  ladies  there.  "  Her  presence  at 
this  banquet,"  said  Croy,  "  led  one  to  believe  that  she  would 
succeed  in  crushing  the  party  opposing  her."  Her  name 
appeared  on  the  list  of  guests  between  those  of  the  Duchess 
de  Chevreuse  and  the  Duchess  de  Mirepoix,  a  fairly  high 
place.  With  the  other  ladies  invited  she  had  received  the 
following  note  from  the  First  Lord-in- Waiting  : 

Madame, 

I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you  that  the  King  has  included 
jrou  in  the  list  of  ladies  who  may  come  to  La  Muette  the  I5th 
of  this  month,  on  the  occasion  of  the  arrival  of  Madame  la 
Dauphine.  If  for  any  reason  you  are  unable  to  be  present, 
I  beg  you  to  inform  me  of  it. 

I  am  with  respect,  Madame,  your  most  humble  and 
obedient  servant, 

Le  Due  d'Aumont. 

On  the  following  day  the  marriage  service  was  held  in 
the  chapel  of  Versailles.  The  gorgeousness  displayed  on 
all  hands  was  unprecedented,  but  the  Countess  exceeded 
everyone  in  the  splendour  of  her  attire.  The  scene  was  one 
of  marvellous  pageantry  and  surpassed  in  magnificence  the 
recent  weddings  of  the  Princess  de  Lamballe  and  the  Duchess 
de  Chartres.  The  spring  sun  shone ;  the  sound  of  the  organ 
mingled  harmoniously  with  the  voice  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Rheims ;  the  King's  eyes  wandered  from  the  Dauphine, 
all  in  white  brocade,  to  his  wonderful  mistress  and  her  brave 
show  of  jewels. 

There  followed  nine  days  of  festivities,  in  which  Madame 
Du  Barry  always  took  part.  The  day  after  the  ceremony 
witnessed  the  inaugural  representation  at  the  Chateau's 
new  Opera-house.  The  favourite,  who  was  very  much  in 
evidence  in  her  box,  received  nearly  all  the  honours,  a  cir- 
cumstance which  "  Madame  la  Dauphine  did  not  appear  to 
appreciate,"  as  Papillon  de  la  Ferte  wrote  in  his  diary. 
Unfortunately,  Quinault  and  Lulli's  wearisome  Persee  had 
been  selected  for  this  first  performance,  but  the  entertain- 
ments were  often  varied,  and  one  evening  after  the  ball  the 
Court  went  out  into  the  gardens  and  mixed  with  the  crowd. 


THE   MARRIAGE   FESTIVITIES  69 

The  whole  park  was  illuminated  ;  at  the  end  of  a  long  vista 
the  temple  of  the  Sun  was  discernible ;  shining  gondolas 
glided  by  on  the  shimmering  Grand  Canal,  making  the 
smooth  surface  sparkle  with  the  reflections  of  the  stars. 
Along  the  "  Tapis  Vert  "  pale  statues  gleamed  in  the  dark- 
ness, and  the  limpid  waters  of  the  "  Parterre  d'Eau  " 
reflected  in  fantastic  lines  the  image  of  the  Chateau's 
immense  fa?ade  and  its  blazing  lights.  Neither  the  King 
nor  the  Dauphine  had  ventured  out  for  fear  of  the  fresh 
night  air.  But  from  the  balcony  of  the  "  Galerie  des  Glaces  " 
they  could  enjoy  the  witchery  of  the  scene  with  its  twelve 
flaming  groves ;  and  among  the  crowd  they  could  distin- 
guish the  favourite  on  the  arm  of  gallant  d'Aiguillon, 
Madame  de  Brionne  with  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  the  youth- 
ful Countess  de  Polignac,  the  Princess  de  Lamballe,  the 
Duchesses  de  Grammont,  de  Boufflers,  de  Fitz- James,  the 
Countesses  de  Broglie,  de  Chabrillan,  d'Egmont,  and  many 
others,  the  pride  and  ornament  of  Versailles. 

In  the  whirl  of  festivities  all  bitterness  of  heart  was  for- 
gotten, but  the  feud  between  Madame  Du  Barry  and  the 
minister  soon  blazed  up  anew  on  the  subject  of  two  actresses. 
The  Dauphin  was  an  admirer  of  Racine's  tragedies,  and 
especially  of  Athalie,  which  he  knew  by  heart,  and  he  wished 
this  masterpiece  to  be  performed.  The  play  was  to  be  pro- 
duced with  great  splendour,  and  was  expected  to  be  the 
most  beautiful  performance  of  its  kind  ever  seen.  Made- 
moiselle Clairon,  who  had  left  the  stage  three  years  before, 
offered  to  take  the  leading  part,  and  was  supported  by  the 
Duke  d'Aumont's  daughter,  the  Duchess  de  Villeroy,  and 
by  Monsieur  de  Choiseul.  The  favourite,  on  the  other  hand, 
upheld  the  claims  of  Mademoiselle  Du  Mesnil,  whose  im- 
passioned acting  appealed  to  the  taste  of  the  age.  La 
Clairon  was  triumphant,  but  not  without  exciting  much 
opposition.  "  It  was  a  crying  shame,"  wrote  Mon- 
sieur de  Croy,  "  to  deprive  Mademoiselle  Du  Mesnil  of  a 
part  which  she  played  with  such  distinction."  La  Clairon's 
"  simple,  rational  "  rendering  was  not  received  by  the  dis- 
satisfied public  with  the  acclamation  of  her  former  successes. 


70  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

The  blow  was  great,  and  in  spite  of  all  that  had  passed, 
Madame  Du  Barry  "  pitied  the  ancient  Melpomene  for  her 
humiliation,"  and  presented  her  with  a  magnificent  costume. 
On  the  evening  of  May  30  the  King  and  the  favourite 
went  to  Bellevue.  From  the  terrace  they  watched  the  dis- 
play of  fireworks  given,  according  to  ancient  custom,  by 
the  town  of  Paris,  in  honour  of  the  young  bridal  pair.  It 
was  to  be  hi  the  place  Louis  XV.  and  Marie  Antoinette  and 
Mesdames  were  driving  to  the  capital  in  order  to  be  present. 
They  had  reached  the  Cours-la-Reine,  where  they 
obtained  a  full  view  of  the  beautiful,  illuminated  city,  when 
cries  of  terror  were  heard,  causing  them  great  agitation. 
An  enormous  crowd  was  being  crushed  and  stifled  in  the 
rue  Royale ;  the  badly-filled  ditches  had  given  way  with 
fatal  consequences ;  people  were  trodden  under  foot  and 
the  terrible  piles  of  corpses  grew.  The  Royal  carriages 
returned  with  the  brokenhearted  little  Dauphine.  "  Three 
hundred  lives  are  said  to  have  been  lost  "  wrote  Monsieur  de 
Croy.  "  This  tragic  festival  caused  the  greatest  consterna- 
tion among  the  people,  an  unfavourable  omen  as  regards 
the  purpose  of  that  memorable  marriage."1 

1  The  official  figure  was  132. 


CHAPTER    III 

THE   FAVOURITE  AND  THE   MINISTERS 

The  Breton  Parliament — Madame  Du  Barry  and  the  Duke  d'Aiguil- 
lon — The  Chancellor  Maupeou  and  the  Parliaments — Disgrace 
of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul — Gustavus  III. — The  Dauphine 
and  the  Favourite — Marriage  of  the  Count  de  Provence — 
The  Duke  d'Aiguillon  appointed  to  the  Ministry — The  Salon 
of  1771 — Choiseul  made  to  resign  his  position  as  Colonel  of  the 
Swiss  Regiment — Generous  Intervention  of  Madame  Du  Barry. 

THE  arrival  of  a  Dauphine  at  Court  materially  altered 
the  relative  positions  of  the  two  opposing  parties. 
Here  was  a  new  power  to  be  taken  into  account  and 
Mesdames  immediately  set  themselves  to  prevail  on 
the  young  Princess  to  exert  her  influence  against  that  of 
the  favourite.     Thus  Marie  Antoinette  and  Madame  Du 
Barry  were  to  be  at  variance  from  the  first.    The  Dauphine 
despised  the  woman  who  was  only  there  "  to  amuse  the 
master  "  and  she  suffered  in  her  pride  at  seeing  another 
occupy  the  position  that  was  rightfully  hers.    On  the  other 
hand   the  Countess  feared  the  charm  of  the  young  bride 
whose  ingenuous  grace  had  captivated  the   King ;     she 
might  become  a  formidable  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the 
Barriens'   opponents,   and  the   mistress  consequently  re- 
solved to  take  a  more  decided  interest  in  politics. 

Naturally  she  was  on  the  side  of  Choiseul's  enemy, 
Richelieu,  and  supported  the  interests  of  the  Duke  d'Aiguil- 
lon, his  nephew.  This  was  not  surprising,  for  the  policy 
they  upheld,  that  of  complete  resistance  to  the  demands 
of  the  Parliaments,  was  in  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  Louis' 
own  government.  Thus  Madame  Du  Barry  espoused  the 
cause  of  d'Aiguillon  in  the  matter  of  the  Breton  Parliament, 
an  affair  which  also  involved  the  honour  of  the  King. 
Monsieur  d'Aiguillon,  "  the  dark,  sombre  courtier,"  was 


72  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

undoubtedly  in  love,  at  least  for  the  time,  with  the  woman 
who  worked  so  devotedly  for  his  advancement.    Of  course, 
the  Duke  and  her  ladyship  were  said  to  be  on  the   most 
intimate  terms,  just  as  had  formerly  been  said  of  Choiseul 
and  Madame  de  Pompadour.    The  Duke  de  Choiseul,  whose 
accusations  against  his  rival  can  scarcely  be  allowed  great 
value,  wrote  later  in  his  memoirs  :  "He  had  persuaded  the 
King  that  he  was  a  martyr  to  his  power  and  to  his  devotion 
to  His  Majesty's  person,  nor  did  he  meet  with  much  diffi- 
culty in  winning  and  sharing  with  the  King  the  good  graces 
of  Madame  Du  Barry."  But  more  impartial  witnesses  gave  a 
different  explanation  of  Monsieur  d' Aiguillon's  influence  over 
the  favourite.    "  The  control  he  exercises  is  due  rather  to  his 
deference  and  his  attentions  than  to  any  decided  ascendancy 
he  may  have  over  her,"  wrote  the  Austrian  Ambassador  to 
Kaunitz.    That  for  the  somewhat  faded  attractions  of  this 
man  the  Countess  should  have  risked  honours,  fortune  and 
the  affection  of  a  jealous  and  suspicious  sovereign  alike,  is 
unthinkable.    According  to  Mercy,  "  Monsieur  d' Aiguillon's 
very  clever  and  devoted  friend  "  was  not  the  young  favour- 
ite, but  rather  Mademoiselle  Chon  Du  Barry.     The  latter 
had  at  once  realised  the  value  of  the  support  of  the  able 
and  determined  nobleman  who  had  formerly  been   Chief 
Commandant    of    the    province    of    Brittany,    and    was 
experienced  in  the  management  of  men. 

Richelieu's  nephew  has  suffered  much  detraction,  but  he 
possessed  nevertheless  qualities  of  intelligence,  suppleness 
and  perseverance,  and  his  official  position  bore  sufficient 
witness  to  his  bravery.  He  won  all  his  promotions  on  the 
field  of  battle,  for  he  had  campaigned  in  Italy  while  still 
Count  d'Agenois.  Needless  to  say,  he  fought  there  in 
desperation,  for  love  of  the  fair  La  Tournelle,  Duchess  de 
Chateauroux,  whom  the  King  had  just  carried  off  from 
him.  At  the  attack  of  the  Chateau-Dauphin  in  Piedmont, 
he  was  dangerously  wounded  ;  "  the  same  blow  seemed  to 
strike  Madame  de  La  Tournelle,"  wrote  Maurepas,  "  which 
rather  grieved  the  King."1  As  Duke  d'Aiguillon  and  Com- 

1  Memoives  du  comte  de  Maurepas,  Vol.  IV.,  p.   114. 


A   COSTLY   EPIGRAM  73 

mandant  of  Brittany,  he  repulsed  the  English  during  the 
Seven  Years'  War,  and  in  September,  1758,  won  over  them 
the  celebrated  victory  of  Saint-Cast.  His  popularity  was 
then  at  its  height,  but  it  was  not  to  last  for  long. 

In  1764  the  province  rose  against  its  governor  on  account 
of  the  imposition  of  certain  taxes  which  had  been  rejected 
by  the  Parliament  of  Rennes.  The  King  had  reversed 
their  decree,  to  which  the  Parliament  replied  by  dissolving, 
and  the  magistrates,  followed  by  the  armed  forces  of  the 
whole  country,  commenced  a  relentless  attack  on  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon.  The  Attorney-General,  Monsieur  de  la  Chalo- 
tais,  and  his  son,  who  led  the  revolt,  accused  the  governor 
of  despotism,  assailed  him  with  bitter  taunts,  and  even 
denied  him  the  honour  of  having  won  Saint-Cast,  saying 
that  at :  the  mill  commanding  the  field  "  the  Breton  troops 
had  been  covered  with  glory,  and  then*  general  with  flour." 
According  to  Choiseul  this  epigram  cost  the  two  magistrates 
an  imprisonment,  and  with  them  four  other  members  of  the 
Breton  Parliament  were  arrested. 

In  the  lawsuit  of  1770  against  d'Aiguillon  he  was  accused 
of  every  conceivable  crime,  the  allegations  as  often  as  not 
being  unsupported  by  evidence.  He  was  re-appointed 
Commandant  by  the  Duke  de  Duras,  and  brought  forward 
in  his  defence  documents  which  were  burnt  in  public  by  the 
hangman  at  Rennes.  But  Richelieu  contrived  interviews 
for  him  with  the  favourite,  and  thus  gave  him  the  oppor- 
tunity of  interesting  her  in  the  smallest  details  of  his  case. 
He  spoke  of  the  inflammable,  independent  Bretons,  and  the 
difficulties  in  the  way  of  him  who  would  govern  them, 
many  having  failed  who  attempted  the  task ;  he  told  her 
of  his  troubles,  of  the  life  darkened  by  calumny  that  he  was 
destined  to  lead  did  she  not  come  to  his  help ;  and  with 
gentle  persuasion  he  gradually  won  her  over.  His  mother 
also  pleaded  his  cause  with  an  impassioned  eloquence  that 
succeeded  in  convincing  the  Countess. 

Thus  for  the  first  time  the  favourite  exercised  her  influence 
over  the  sovereign  in  a  matter  of  grave  political  importance. 
She  had  first  to  foil  the  craftiness  of  the  Chancellor  Maupeou, 


74  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

who  was  the  real  instigator  of  the  Brittany  affair,  and 
controlled  it,  usually  to  his  own  advantage.  In  the  Ministry 
he  appeared  to  have  deserted  Choiseul  and  taken  d'Aiguil- 
lon's  part ;  but,  as  the  result  of  the  judicial  debate  showed, 
he  served  him  to  such  ill  purpose  that  Monsieur  Linguet, 
the  Duke's  chief  advocate,  wrote :  "  What  cruel  friends 
you  have  there,  monsieur  le  due." 

The  King  ratified  the  judgment  of  the  Court  of  Peers, 
and  all  kinds  of  difficulties  were  brought  up  hindering  the 
progress  of  the  trial.  The  demands  of  the  Parliaments 
knew  no  bounds,  public  opinion  was  hostile  to  the  accused 
and  to  the  government,  and  "  the  most  convincing  arguments 
could  scarcely  have  overcome  all  the  prejudice,  partiality 
and  intrigue."1  The  Chancellor  turned  to  the  ready  tact  of 
the  Minister  of  Finance  for  advice,  and  was  told :  "  We 
must  extricate  ourselves  from  this  affair  in  the  way  least 
compromising  to  authority."  Louis  XV.  ordered  the  whole 
procedure  to  be  annulled,  and  Maupeou  made  the  following 
energetic  speech  before  the  combined  chambers : 

"  The  King  has  been  surprised  that  some  of  the  witnesses 
have  deposed  to  facts  alien  to  the  trial,  and  that  they  have 
backed  their  depositions  by  council  decrees  and  orders 
emanating  from  his  supreme  authority.  Those  who  are 
charged  with  the  execution  of  these  orders  are  responsible 
to  the  King  alone,  and  his  Majesty  would  be  lacking  in  due 
dignity  were  he  to  submit  the  details  of  the  government  of 
his  kingdom  to  a  discussion  by  a  merely  judicial  assembly. 
He  has  observed  in  Monsieur  le  due  d'Aiguillon  nothing  but 
the  greatest  zeal,  and  is  satisfied  that  he  has  in  no  way  abused 
the  power  confided  to  him.  But  if  his  Majesty  considers 
it  his  duty  to  justify  the  Duke  publicly  and  deny  all  that 
may  have  offended  his  honour,  he  also  owes  it  to  his  own 
prestige  not  to  allow  others  to  penetrate  into  the  sanctuary 
of  his  administration.  .  .  ." 

Indignation  was  widespread,  and  in  the  popular  ferment 
might  be  read  a  warning  that  henceforth  absolute  monarchy 
was  only  to  be  maintained  by  coups  d'etat.  The  anger 

1  A  private  letter  of  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon,  of  May  4,  1770,  quoted 
by  Flammennont  in  Le  chevalier  Maupeou  et  les  Parlements,  p.  83. 


D'AIGUILLON    TRIUMPHANT  75 

of  the  public,  as  usual,  found  expression  in  ballads,  and 
Madame  Du  Barry's  protege  was  lampooned  as  follows  : 

Oublions  jusqu'a  la  trace 

De  mon  procds  suspendu  ; 

Avec  des  lettres  de  grace, 

On  ne  peut  etre  pendu. 

Je  triomphe  de  Ten  vie, 

Je  jouis  de  la  faveur  ; 

Si  j'avais  perdu  la  vie, 

Je  n'aurais  pas  ce  bonheur  ; 

Mais,  grace  aux  soins  de  ma  mie, 

Je  n'ai  perdu  que  1'honneur  ! 

While  Messieurs  de  la  Chalotais  languished  in  prison,  the 
Duke  d'Aiguillon  was  feted  at  Louveciennes,  and  invited 
to  a  dinner  over  which  his  Majesty  presided.  The  candles 
in  the  golden  chandeliers  of  the  Countess'  drawing-room 
shed  their  soft  light  on  a  brilliant  company.  She  herself 
was  pale  under  her  rouge,  for  she  was  exhausted  by  the 
agitations  of  the  campaign  she  had  conducted  on  behalf  of 
her  protege.  Louis  could  not  withdraw  his  gaze  from  his 
mistress,  and  yet  he  was  still  thinking  of  Elizabeth  of 
Austria,  the  Archduchess  who  had  sworn  she  would  marry 
no  one  else.  In  his  secret  correspondence  we  read  how  he 
gave  instructions  that  an  agent  leaving  for  Vienna  should  be 
careful  to  examine  the  Princess  "  from  top  to  toe,  not 
excepting  any  part  of  her  that  he  could  possibly  see."1 
At  that  time,  too,  he  sent  a  diplomatic  reply  to  a  letter 
that  Choiseul  had  written  in  his  anxiety  at  the  support 
given  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  : 

You  will  find  a  letter  in  this  packet,  again  from  Monsieur 
de  Fuentes  [the  Spanish  Ambassador].  His  praise  of  you 
is  very  well-judged. 

First  about  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon.  How  can  you  imagine 
that  he  will  take  your  place  ?  I  like  him  well  enough 
certainly,  since  the  trick  I  played  on  him  a  long  time  ago ; 
but  what  good  could  he  do  seeing  that  he  is  so  hated  ? 

You  manage  my  affairs  well,  and  I  am  satisfied  with  you  ; 
but  have  a  care  of  those  in  whom  you  confide  and  of  gratui- 
tous advice  ;  I  have  always  hated  it,  and  detest  it  now  more 

1  June  6,  1770.     Boutarie,  Corr.  Secrete  de  Louis  XV. 


76  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

than  ever  before.  You  know  Madame  Du  Barry ;  most 
certainly  I  did  not  become  acquainted  with  her  through 
Monsieur  de  Richelieu  although  he  knew  her,  and  he  dare 
not  see  her  ;  the  only  time  that  he  has  seen  her  was  at  my 
express  command,  and  that  was  only  for  a  moment.  I  had 
thought  of  making  her  acquaintance  before  she  married. 
She  is  pretty,  I  am  pleased  with  her,  and  her,  too,  I  am 
always  advising  to  have  a  care  of  those  in  whom  she  confides 
and  of  her  advisers  ;  you  may  be  sure  she  has  several. 
She  has  no  feeling  of  hatred  for  you  ;  she  recognises  your 
talent  and  bears  you  no  grudge.  The  denunciations  of  her 
have  been  frightful,  and  for  the  most  part  unfounded. 
They  would  all  be  at  her  feet  if  .  .  Such  is  the 
world. 

She  is  very  pretty  ;  she  pleases  me,  and  that  should  be 
enough.  Do  they  want  me  to  take  a  girl  of  quality  ?  If  the 
Archduchess  were  agreeable  to  me  I  should  marry  her  with 
pleasure.  But  I  should  prefer  to  see  her  and  know  her  first. 
Her  brother  has  been  looking  for  a  wife,  and  has  not  suc- 
ceeded. I  think  I  should  be  able  to  judge  better  than  he, 
for  this  matter  must  really  be  brought  to  an  end  ;  otherwise 
the  fair  sex  is  sure  to  continue  disturbing  me,  as  you  may 
rest  assured  I  do  not  intend  to  give  you  a  Damede  Maintenon. 
And  that,  I  think,  is  sufficient  for  the  present.  .  .  . 

These  opinions  notwithstanding,  his  Majesty  graciously 
permitted  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  to  join  the  Court  at  Marly. 
The  sojourn  in  that  little  chateau  was  expected  to  establish 
closer  relations  between  the  members  of  the  Royal  Family, 
and  Louis  XV.  felt  some  anxiety  as  to  how  the  favourite 
would  be  received  by  the  Dauphine  and  the  Princesses. 
The  latter  were  now  elderly  women,  whose  solid  maturity 
bore  but  little  resemblance  to  the  gracefulness  of  their  youth 
as  portrayed  by  Nattier.  When  Madame  Sophie  was  at 
the  convent  of  Fontevrault  she  had  been  a  fair,  shy  girl 
with  the  delicate  charm  of  youth  ;  but  the  years  had  extin- 
guished her  powers  of  will,  of  thought,  and  of  passion, 
and  left  her  an  insipid,  colourless  woman.  Madame  Victoire, 
the  lovely  brunette  of  the  picture,  with  the  long,  disturbing 
eyes,  still  boasted  the  imposing  presence  of  the  Bourbons, 
but  her  attractions  had  vanished,  and  only  goodness  of 


' 


MADAME    I)U    BARRY 
f!nst  in  biscuit  de  Sevres  by  J.  B.  Laitayne 


AN    OUTSPOKEN    CRITICISM  77 

heart  remained.  Both  were  dominated  by  their  haughty 
sister,  Madame  Adelaide,  whom  in  her  youth  the  painter 
drew  in  the  likeness  of  a  fair  Diana  resting  beside  a  fountain. 
Since  the  death  of  the  Infanta  and  of  Madame  Henriette, 
she  had  been  the  King's  favourite  daughter,  but  even 
then  how  little  they  had  in  common  !  She  was  always 
unoccupied,  and  spent  her  life  in  petty  machinations,  guided 
in  everything  by  her  Mistress  of  the  Robes,  the  intriguing 
Madame  de  Narbonne. 

In  the  salon  on  the  ground  floor  of  Versailles,  with  its 
outlook  both  on  the  Parterre  d'Eau  and  the  Parterre  du 
Nord,  Mesdames  de  France  received  their  little  circle  of 
supporters.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul  was  now  among  those 
who  came  most  eagerly  to  pay  their  court  to  the  Princesses, 
although  they  had  formerly  always  declined  to  see  him, 
particularly  since  he  drove  out  the  Jesuits.  But  they 
had  been  drawn  together  by  their  common  animosity 
against  the  favourite. 

Madame  la  Dauphine  was  thus  to  live  in  an  atmosphere 
of  violent  hostility  to  the  Countess,  and  the  latter,  with  a 
presentiment  of  the  antipathy  with  which  she  would  be 
regarded  by  her,  prepared  to  strengthen  her  hold  over  the 
Sovereign.  But  for  the  moment  she  thought  only  of  resting. 
During  the  short  stay  at  Marly  she  might  be  seen  walking 
in  the  great  park,  where  the  water  of  the  wonderful  fountains 
tinkled  melodiously  on  their  marble  basins ;  and  she  used 
to  meet  the  King  in  "  the  groves  of  Luciennes  "  or  on  the 
terraces  of  the  summer-house.  She  wore  full-dress  only 
in  the  evenings,  when  she  joined  the  Dauphine  at  cards. 
The  latter  was  annoyed  at  the  attentions  his  Majesty  paid 
to  his  beautiful  mistress,  and  wrote  to  her  august  mother 
describing  the  chilly  atmosphere  of  these  evening  receptions  : 
"  Madame,  my  dearest  mother,  the  King  shows  me  every 
kindness,  and  I  love  him  tenderly ;  but  his  weakness  for 
Madame  Du  Barry  is  pitiful,  for  she  is  the  stupidest  and 
most  impertinent  creature  you  could  imagine.  She  played 
cards  with  us  every  evening  at  Marly  ;  twice  she  sat  beside 
me,  but  she  never  spoke  to  me,  and  I  made  no  attempt  to 


78  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

enter  into  conversation  with  her ;   though  when  necessary 
I  have  spoken  to  her." 

At  Choisy  the  number  of  people  in  attendance  was  larger, 
and  the  King  gave  orders  for  performances  at  the  little 
theatre  of  the  chateau.  One  evening  Madame  Du  Barry, 
Madame  de  Mirepoix  and  the  Duchess  de  Valentinois  found 
that  their  seats  in  the  front  row  had  been  taken.  The  Countess 
de  Grammont,  a  lady  of  the  bedchamber  to  the  Dauphine, 
and  a  sister-in-law  of  the  Duchess  Beatrix,  on  this  occasion 
let  fall  certain  biting  expressions  aimed  at  the  favourite, 
and  was  in  consequence  punished  by  being  sent  into  exile. 
"  Her  banishment  created  a  tremendous  sensation,"  for 
she  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with  the  Choiseul  family. 
It  showed  that  her  ladyship  was  becoming  a  power  to  be 
reckoned  with,  and  the  young  Princess,  who  saw  how  a 
blow  had  been  aimed  at  one  of  her  own  household  through 
that  power,  could  not  forgive  her.1 

From  Choisy  the  Court  removed  to  Compiegne,  where  the 
days  were  chiefly  spent  in  hunting.  The  Countess  rode 
after  the  hunt  wearing  the  masculine  garb  of  grey  silk 
and  lace  that  she  so  much  affected.  But  at  cards,  at  suppers 
and  banquets  she  had  an  opportunity  of  displaying  the 
wonderful  creations  whose  good  taste  and  elegance  led  the 
fashion  at  Court.  In  spite  of  her  fatigue  she  was  still  the 
fairest  woman  there,  and  d'Aiguillon  was  an  expert  at 
telling  her  so  in  those  long  interviews,  whose  wearisome 
discussion  of  business  he  wisely  tempered  with  his  gallantry. 
His  affair  was  by  no  means  over  ;  the  Parliament  persisted 
in  their  denunciations,  wished  to  continue  his  trial,  and 
tried  to  deprive  him  of  his  title  as  a  peer  of  France,  saying 
that  he  had  forfeited  it.2 

The  favourite  exerted  herself  to  allay  the  storms  of 
passion  which  were  roused  in  the  King  by  his  feeling  of 
uneasiness  at  the  "  republican  multitude,"  whose  ideas 
seemed  likely  to  checkmate  his  royal  authority.  Gently, 

1  P.  de  Nolhac,  Marie- Antoinette  dauphine,  p.  147. 
•  On  July  2,  the  Parliament  issued  a  decree  excluding  d'Aiguillon 
from  the  peerage,  but  Maupeou  had  it  cancelled. 


CHOISEUL   DENOUNCED  79 

tenderly  the  Countess  strove  to  reassure  the  monarch, 
laughing  at  the  pretentions  of  the  "  bigwigs  "  and  their 
supporters  among  the  Princes  of  the  Blood,  and  making 
excuses  for  the  people  who  had  been  deceived  as  to  the 
intentions  of  their  sovereign.  The  people  held  no  political 
opinions,  and  the  only  reforms  for  which  they  clamoured 
were  such  as  would  relieve  their  poverty.  They  were 
convinced  that  the  magistrates  were  fighting  their  cause 
against  the  demands  of  despotism,  and  placed  all  their  trust 
in  them  ;  they  hated  Maupeou,  Madame  Du  Barry,  and  the 
whole  of  that  party,  and  all  their  sympathies  were  with 
Choiseul,  who  supported  the  Parliaments. 

While  at  Compiegne  a  violent  dispute  between  Richelieu 
and  the  minister  arose,  and  in  the  face  of  the  whole  Court 
the  Marshal  accused  the  Duchess  de  Grammont  of  travelling 
in  the  South  of  France  for  the  purpose  of  inciting  the 
Provence  and  Languedoc  Parliaments  to  rebellion.  "  I 
told  H.R.H.  that  it  looked  extremely  like  a  stratagem  of 
the  Duke  de  Choiseul,"  wrote  Mercy  to  Maria  Theresa  ; 
"  The  Dauphine  seemed  to  disagree  with  me,  though  she 
did  not  tell  me  her  reasons  for  believing  the  contrary  ;  she 
added  simply  that  she  would  let  me  know  them  later  when 
she  could  speak  to  me  at  greater  leisure."  After  this 
episode  Louis  XV.  began  to  doubt  the  fidelity  of  his  minister, 
for  his  confidence  in  him  was  shaken.  He  was  observed  to 
avoid  conversation  with  him,  and  perhaps  he  was  already 
thinking  of  the  lettre-de-cachet  which  was  destined  to  send 
him  into  exile. 

On  leaving  Compiegne  the  King,  the  Dauphine,  Mesdames 
and  the  favourite  broke  their  journey  at  Chantilly,  where 
Conde"  gave  them  a  magnificent  reception.  But  here 
Louis  XV.  was  seen  to  give  all  his  attention  to  Marie 
Antoinette,  while  the  Prince  devoted  himself  to  the  Countess, 
who  could  judge  at  its  true  value  the  disinterestedness 
of  his  assiduous  homage. 

On  August  31,  the  Court  returned  to  Versailles,  and  great 
preparations  were  begun  for  the  move  to  Fontainebleau. 
Dressmakers  and  silk  and  lace  merchants  came  and  went 


8o  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

in  the  apartments  of  the  Countess,  who  yet  found  time  to 
listen  to  d'Aiguillon,  receive  Maupeou,  and  speak  of  serious 
matters  to  the  King.  The  interminable  Brittany  affair 
continued  to  threaten  the  peace  of  the  kingdom,  not  to  speak 
of  that  of  the  sovereign.  "  Agitation  is  widespread,"  wrote 
Madame  Du  Deffand  ;  "  the  Parliaments  all  stand  by  each 
other.  .  .  .  We  are  smothered  in  petitions,  addresses, 
proclamations,  decrees,  letters-patent,  etc.,  etc.  .  .  ." 
Maupeou  persuaded  Louis  XV.  to  hold  another  lit  de  justice, 
whereby  to  confiscate  all  the  documents  connected  with  the 
trial,  and  to  forbid  the  Parliament  any  further  attacks  on 
d'Aiguillon.  The  King  gave  his  Council  no  warning  of 
his  intention  until  half-past  ten  o'clock  of  the  evening  before 
the  ceremony.  Choiseul,  who  was  going  to  hunt  the  next 
day  at  La  Ferte"-Vidame  with  the  banker  Laborde, 
thought  he  might  make  his  excuses,  and  the  King  readily 
granted  him  leave  with  a  gracious  smile  that  gave  no  hint 
of  his  secret. 

The  third  day  of  September  proved  a  surprise  to  many 
people.  Madame  Du  Deffand  described  to  Walpole  her 
agitation  on  hearing  the  cannon  announcing  his  Majesty's 
arrival  in  Paris : 

This  morning  at  ten  o'clock  I  heard  to  my  great  astonish- 
ment the  firing  of  cannon  ;  I  said  to  myself,  "  The  King  has 
been  at  Versailles  since  Friday,  when  he  returned  from 
Chantilly ;  can  Madame  la  Dauphine  be  coming  to  Notre- 
Dame?  "  I  rang  for  my  servants  and  was  told  that  the 
"  Place  Louis  XV.  was  full  of  musketeers,  the  King  having 
just  come  to  the  Parliament."  Promptly  I  imagined  that 
all  was  lost,  that  at  least  some  of  the  Parliament  would  be 
put  to  the  sword,  that  perhaps  ...  in  short,  I  was  all  in  a 
whirl.  Where  should  I  send  ?  To  Madame  de  Mirepoix, 
with  whom,  by  the  way,  I  am  on  the  best  of  terms  ?  My 
servants  went ;  she  was  not  awake.  I  sent  to  all  my 
acquaintances  in  the  neighbourhood,  ending  up  with  the 
fat  Duchess  [d'Aiguillon],  but  all  were  astonished  and  knew 
nothing.  I  was  on  the  point  of  getting  up,  I  ordered  my 
carriage,  intending  to  go  to  Madame  de  Beauvau,  and 
perhaps  immediately  after  to  Gennevilliers  [to  Madame  de 


A   PARLIAMENT   REBUKED  81 

Choiseul].  ...  I  hope  you  will  be  satisfied  when  you 
hear  that  the  whole  turmoil  was  for  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon. 
The  King  has  reprimanded  the  Parliament,  has  confiscated 
the  minutes,  the  copies  and  all  the  documents  of  the  case, 
has  forbidden  any  further  mention  of  the  affair,  and  has 
enforced  this  prohibition  by  the  most  severe  threats  should 
it  be  disobeyed.  .  .  . 

Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  seemed  to  have  won  the  day ;  the 
story  goes  that  he  gave  the  favourite  a  superb  vis-a-vis  as 
a  token  of  his  gratitude.  According  to  the  libellers  this 
masterpiece  was  further  said  to  have  cost  52,000  livres, 
a  sum  sufficient  "  to  support  a  whole  province  for  several 
months  "  ;  and  the  usual  verses  followed  these  hungry 
reflections  : 

Pourquoi  ce  brillant  vis-a-vis  ? 

Est-ce  le  char  d'une  deesse, 

Ou  de  quelque  jeune  princesse  ? 

S'ecriait  un  badaud  surpris. 

Non  (de  la  foule  curieuse 

Lui  repond  un  caustique),  non, 

C'est  le  char  de  la  blanchisseuse 

De  cet  infame  d'Aiguillon. 

Thus  did  the  mob  sum  up  its  judgment  of  the  Brittany 
affair,  and  nothing  could  henceforth  shake  its  opinion. 
The  suspension  of  the  trial  proved  that  the  Duke  was  guilty, 
and  the  King  had  been  induced  to  pardon  d'Aiguillon  by 
Madame  Du  Barry  and  her  partisans.1 

At  Fontainebleau  the  favourite  occupied  the  same  rooms 
as  before,  while  Madame  la  Dauphine  was  given  the  apart- 
ments of  the  late  Queen.  All  the  entertainments  seemed  as 
much  in  honour  of  the  mistress  as  ever,  and  were  often 
inspired  by  her.  In  the  world  of  pleasure  she  was  soon 
without  a  rival,  and  her  good  taste,  her  tact  and  her  famili- 
arity with  literature  eminently  fitted  her  for  the  task  of 

1  Vatel,  who  had  carefully  studied  the  Memoire  pour  le  due  d'Aiguil- 
lon by  the  famous  lawyer  Maltre  Linguet,  agrees  with  the  latter 
as  to  the  Duke's  innocence.  Monsieur  Cruppi,  writing  from  an 
unbiassed  standpoint,  says  that  "  never  have  criminal  proceedings 
been  based  on  vaguer  presumptions  and  more  untrustworthy 
accounts.  The  incredible  levity  of  the  Parliaments  in  criminal 
matters  was  displayed  here  as  in  the  case  of  La  Barre." 
G 


82  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE' 

choosing  the  plays  to  be  performed.  Together  with  the 
First  Lord-in-Waiting  for  the  year,  the  Duke  d'Aumont, 
and  his  sister,  the  Duchess  de  Villeroy,  the  Countess  arranged 
the  repertory  of  the  plays  to  be  acted  before  the  Court. 

"  The  opening  performance  on  Saturday  the  I3th 
(October)  at  the  theatre  of  Fontainebleau,"  wrote  Papillon 
de  la  Pert  6  in  his  diary,  "  was  that  of  Arlequin  et  Scapin 
rivaux  and  La  Bucheron,  followed  by  a  ballet,  altogether  too 
long."  Two  days  after  that  the  Trois  Cousines,  appro- 
priately followed  by  the  Ecole  des  Man's,  was  acted.  Some- 
what later  "  two  comic  operas,  the  only  ones  the  King  liked," 
were  played  :  On  ne  s'avise  jamais  de  tout  and  Le  Devin  du 
village.  All  eyes  were  turned  to  the  favourite's  box  during 
these  performances ;  there  she  sat,  fair  and  dainty,  in  her 
radiant  gown  of  "  white  satin,  wavily  striped  and  pleated 
with  gold,"  and  covered  with  "  garlands  of  ruby-encrusted 
knots  and  spangles." 

She  was  marvellously  dressed,  too,  when  she  watched  the 
review  of  the  Royal  Regiment,  and  the  young  officers 
swarmed  round  her  phaeton,  attracted  by  her  gracious 
gaiety.  With  the  Duchess  de  Valentinois  and  Madame  de 
Montmorency  she  was  invited  to  the  dinner  given  by  the 
second  officer  in  command,  the  Count  Du  Chatelet.  She 
was  seated  beside  the  King,  taking  the  place  of  Madame  la 
Dauphine,  who  had  left  with  her  aunts,  the  Princesses  ; 
and  Monsieur  de  Choiseul,  although  Minister  of  War,  had 
refrained  from  appearing  either  at  the  parade  or  at  the 
banquet. 

On  October  20,  Louis  XV.  and  the  Royal  Family  left 
Fontainebleau  and  spent  three  days  at  Choisy ;  on  the 
23rd  the  Court  returned  to  Versailles.  Her  ladyship, 
though  absorbed  in  the  numerous  details  connected  with 
the  journey,  did  not  lose  touch  with  politics.  She  had  en- 
joyed the  services  of  a  good  teacher  in  her  initiation  into 
its  mysteries,  and  could  follow  with  interest  all  the  phases 
of  the  Parliamentary  crisis.  The  edict  of  December  3  was 
being  prepared,  and  those  who  knew  of  its  existence  were 
busy  estimating  and  balancing  the  forces  at  issue.  Its 


A   ROYAL   EDICT  83 

clauses  were  discussed  not  only  in  Cabinet  Councils  but  also 
in  the  favourite's  perfumed  chamber,  whose  low  ceiling  and 
gilded  bed,  with  its  covering  of  heavy  lace,  suggested  but 
little  the  council  chamber. 

Maupeou,  having  come  to  an  agreement  with  Terray  and 
La  Vrilliere,  committed  the  scheme  to  writing  and  pre- 
sented it  to  the  King,  while  the  Chancellor  explained  it 
to  the  Countess.  With  indefatigable  energy  he  instructed 
and  directed  her,  for  he  knew  how  much  the  King  valued 
and  listened  to  her  counsels.  He  excited  her  pity  by  his 
account  of  the  interrupted  duties  of  many  victims,  such  as 
men  detained  hi  preventive  prisons,  or  plaintiffs  spending 
their  whole  fortunes  on  suspended  lawsuits,  and  he  deplored 
the  sinister  example  of  disobedience  set  by  the  Parliaments, 
that  had  for  so  long  thrown  the  country  into  confusion  and 
was  leading  to  the  ruin  of  the  monarchy.  And  the  pretty 
childish  voice  of  the  Countess,  that  had  hitherto  only 
uttered  words  of  love  and  gaiety,  was  heard  discussing 
grave  and  serious  matters.  She  bore  a  grudge  against 
those  philosophers  whose  books  the  Parliaments  burnt, 
but  whose  theories  they  put  into  practice. 

The  preamble  of  the  memorable  edict,  through  which 
Madame  Du  Barry  won  such  valuable  insight  into  politics, 
was  a  royal  claim  to  absolute  power,  and  all  Louis'  pride  may 
be  read  in  its  few  words  :  "  .  .  .  .  We  hold  our  crown 
from  God  alone ;  the  right  to  make  laws  for  the  conduct 
and  governance  of  our  subjects  pertains  to  us  only,  inde- 
pendent of  all,  to  be  shared  by  none  ;  we  make  over  to  our 
courts  the  right  to  examine,  discuss  and  execute  the  laws. 
.  .  .  Our  wish  to  know  of  all  that  may  have  escaped 
our  vigilance  binds  us  always  to  maintain  their  custom  of 
addressing  petitions  to  us.  ...  This  custom,  which 
is  the  prerogative  of  a  wise  government  that  desires  only 
to  reign  by  the  light  of  reason  and  justice,  should  not  become 
in  the  hands  of  our  officers  a  right  to  resistance ;  their 
petitions  have  a  limit  and  may  not  touch  our  authority. 
.  .  .  ." l  There  followed  three  long  clauses  which 
1  Flammermont,  Le  chancelier  Maupeou  et  les  Parlements,  p.  117. 


84  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

were  enthusiastically  praised  by  the  Dauphin.  "  They  are 
excellent,"  he  wrote  ;  "  they  show  wherein  lies  true  public 
right ;  I  am  delighted  with  Monsieur  le  Chancelier."  But 
the  magistrates  would  not  submit  to  the  edict,  and  peti- 
tions continued  to  be  presented  after  the  King's  positive 
orders  until  the  fall  of  the  Parliaments. 

The  favourite  turned  with  relief  from  these  long,  weari- 
some discussions  with  the  Chancellor  to  an  occupation  that 
was  much  more  to  her  taste,  the  choosing  and  making  of 
her  dresses.  Every  day  some  new  frock  was  worn,  necessi- 
tating many  a  conference  with  her  dressmaker,  Madame 
Sigly.  Her  petticoats  had  to  be  flounced  with  the  same  kind 
of  lace  as  her  skirts,  the  jewels  on  her  slippers  must  match 
those  in  her  attire,  and  her  silk  stockings  had  to  be 
embroidered  with  gold.  Then  she  was  busied  with  the  pur- 
chase of  rare  and  curious  things  to  stand  on  her  ivory  and 
lacquered  etageres,  and  with  ordering  furniture  for  her 
rooms  at  Versailles  or  Louveciennes,  such  as  "  the  twelve 
large  armchairs  upholstered  in  yellow  Indian  silk,"  which 
she  acquired  about  this  time.  New  Year  was  at  hand,  and 
she  chose  gifts  for  her  friends,  such  as  snuffboxes  with  minia- 
tured lids,  cameo  rings  or  "  small  cases  of  veined  agate." 
She  also  bought  Sevres  ware  at  the  Christmas  exhibition 
of  porcelain  in  the  Royal  apartments,  presents  that  were  a 
sure  indication  of  her  perfect  taste  and  were  always 
appreciated. 

Madame  Du  Barry  was  at  this  time  actively  engaged  in 
the  arrangements  for  building  a  villa  at  Louveciennes  where 
she  could  receive  His  Majesty  with  suitable  comfort  and 
luxury.  Her  only  thought  was  to  please  the  King,  who, 
always  difficult  to  satisfy,  was  now  burdened  not  only 
with  the  cares  of  government,  but  also  with  the  melancholy 
of  age ;  he  depended  on  the  youth  and  vitality  of  the 
affectionate  child,  to  whom  fell  the  heavy  task  of  actually 
determining  his  actions  as  well  as  of  guiding  his  course. 

In  the  coming  crisis,  which  was  destined  to  bring  about 
the  fall  of  Choiseul,  the  Countess  by  no  means  confined  her 
activities  on  behalf  of  his  enemies  to  raillery,  but  played  an 


POLITICAL   INTRIGUES  85 

active  part,  glimpses  of  the  importance  of  which  are  afforded 
by  recent  researches.  From  the  moment  the  Duke  had 
violently  declared  his  opposition  to  the  mistress  the  Roue 
had  conceived  the  daring  notion  of  achieving  his  destruction, 
and  had  proffered  his  assistance  to  the  party  at  Court 
working  for  that  end.  He  persuaded  them,  probably  by 
the  help  of  his  sister-in-law,  to  avail  themselves  of  the  ser- 
vices of  one  whom  she  had  known  when  at  the  rue  de  la 
Jussienne.  This  was  Favier,  who,  as  a  subordinate  agent, 
had  been  concerned  in  certain  diplomatic  transactions.  He 
was  a  writer  of  some  distinction,  a  man  of  alert  and  supple 
temperament,  who  had  become  embittered  by  the  small- 
ness  of  a  position  that  ill  rewarded  the  various  duties  he  had 
discharged.  Favier  was,  in  consequence,  far  from  reluctant 
to  supply  the  Baniens  with  the  weapons  they  needed 
against  a  minister  who  habitually  counted  on  his  reputation 
with  the  King  as  an  impeccable  administrator  and  states- 
manlike politician.  A  secret  agent,  perhaps  the  Roue 
himself,  was  sent  to  Brussels  in  March,  1769,  where  he  wrote 
to  Favier's  dictation  a  very  complete  summary  of  facts 
incriminating  Monsieur  de  Choiseul.1  This  anonymous  memo- 
randum, full  as  it  was  of  accusations  and  compromising 
insinuations,  became  the  arsenal  whence  the  supporters  of 
the  Countess  drew  their  ammunition  for  the  fight  before 
them.2 

1  The  text  is  published  in  La  Revolution  Franqaise  of  1899,  Vol. 
XXXVI.,  pp.  415-462,  which  also  contains  an  article  by  Flammer- 
mont  on  Favier,  discussing  among  other  things  his  relations  with 
Jean  Du  Barry  and  his  mistress. 

•A  passage  alluding  to  the  amours  of  the  King  is  worthy  of 
quotation.  After  having  established  the  Choiseuls'  intrigues  with 
the  Court  of  Vienna,  Favier  adds  :  "  The  Court  has  justified  their 
trust  in  it  and  recognised  their  services.  More  than  once  it  has 
taken  the  trouble  to  intervene  on  their  behalf,  either  by  openly 
doing  them  a  service,  or  by  indirect  insinuations  ;  and,  further, 
according  to  some  who  are  well-informed  on  the  point,  it  has  not 
feared  risking  the  displeasure  of  the  King  by  its  interference  in 
matters  concerning  only  his  household  and  his  private  life.  This 
has  been  done  solely  at  the  request  of  these  gentlemen  who  thought 
it  to  their  interest  to  become  censors  of  morality  for  the  first  time 
in  their  lives." 


86  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

The  ground  having  thus  been  prepared  as  regards  the 
King,  events  were  precipitated  by  an  imprudence  of 
Choiseul.  On  the  subject  of  an  affair  of  slight  import- 
ance, a  difference  between  England  and  Spain  as  to  the 
Falkland  Isles,  the  minister  thought  fit  to  second  the 
Madrid  Cabinet  in  its  proposals  for  war.  As  France  was 
in  duty  bound  to  support  her  ally  on  account  of  the  Family 
Pact,  Choiseul  saw  in  the  matter  an  opportunity  of  making 
himself  indispensable.  The  affair  might,  however,  assume 
grave  proportions :  "I  have  demonstrated  all  its  conse- 
quences to  the  Spanish  ambassador,"  wrote  Mercy  to  Maria 
Theresa,  "  and  I  flatter  myself  that  the  two  of  us  together 
have  succeeded  in  convincing  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  of  the 
erroneousness  of  his  calculations."  But  it  was  rather  late 
to  turn  back.  On  the  other  hand,  Louis  XV.  wished  for 
peace  at  any  price,  while  the  Parliament  was  openly 
insubordinate  and  refused  to  vote  the  necessary  supplies  for 
the  expedition  unless  their  demands  were  acceded  to. 
Choiseul  gave  the  King  to  understand  that  the  exile  of  the 
Chancellor  and  of  the  Minister  of  Finance  would  make  the 
Chambers  much  more  manageable ;  the  monarch,  on  the 
contrary,  hoped  that  Maupeou  and  Terray  would  rid  him 
of  the  Parliaments.  The  Chancellor,  again,  declared  that 
unless  Choiseul  were  dismissed  war  was  inevitable,  and  that 
he  himself  would  rather  resign  than  submit  to  the  will  of 
the  magistrates.1  But  Louis  XV.  was  also  anxious  to  fulfil 
his  obligations  towards  Charles  III.,  and  was  in  consequence 
much  harassed  by  doubts  as  to  the  course  of  action  he  should 
pursue.  Madame  Du  Barry  again  stepped  in,  under  cir- 
cumstances that  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand  has  presented  in 
the  most  fanciful  light. 

The  chief  clerk  in  the  Foreign  Office  was  an  Abbe  de  La 
Ville,  who  cherished  the  hope  of  rising  to  higher  things. 

1  Flammermont  did  not  know  how  far  and  in  what  manner 
Madame  Du  Barry  and  the  Abbe  de  La  Ville  had  intervened.  He 
ascribed  Choiseul's  disgrace  chiefly  to  the  animosity  of  the  Prince 
de  Gonde,  who  desired  the  Ministry  of  War  for  the  Marquis  de 
Monteynard.  See  the  Duke  de  Broglie,  Le  secret  du  Rot,  Vol.  II., 
pp.  231  et  seq. 


A    SECRET    INTERVIEW  87 

Jean  Du  Barry  discovered  him,  and  without  much 
trouble  induced  him  to  affirm  that  the  Falkland  Isles 
affair  was  primarily  instigated  to  further  the  ministerial 
interest  of  the  Choiseuls.  The  Abbe  added  that  as  matters 
now  stood  there  was  but  one  way  out :  "  that  the  King 
should  take  it  on  himself  to  write  a  confidential  letter  to 
His  Catholic  Majesty.  The  reply  would  infallibly  prove 
that  the  latter  was  inclined  to  avoid  war  by  giving  up  the 
Falkland  Isles,  the  cause  of  so  much  confusion." 

Du  Barry  needed  no  more,  and  went  immediately  to 
his  sister-in-law,  whom  he  instructed  in  such  wise  that  she 
was  able  to  put  the  scheme  before  the  King  as  if  she  had 
invented  it  herself.  .  .  .  She  said  to  him :  "I  wager 
that  if  you  have  the  courage  to  send  for  the  Abbe  de  La 
Ville,  and  command  him  to  tell  you  truthfully  the  prospects 
of  such  a  direct  application  to  the  King  of  Spain,  he  will  not 
be  able  to  deny  his  approval  of  the  step,  thereby  showing 
you  the  real  value  of  the  great  fidelity  with  which  you 
imagine  you  are  served  by  Monsieur  de  Choiseul."  The 
King  was  more  and  more  struck  with  the  intelligence  of  his 
mistress,  and  said  :  "  Under  what  pretext  can  I  send  for 
this  Abbe  ?  The  Duke  de  Choiseul  will  hear  of  it."  "  But 
how  ingenuous  you  are,"  she  replied,  "  I  do  not  know  him 
myself,  and  have  never  seen  him,  but  I  engage  to  bring  him 
here,  and,  to  put  you  at  your  ease,  I  promise  he  shall  come 
at  dusk,  dressed  like  a  layman  with  bagwig  and  sword." 
Amused  at  this  prospect  of  seeing  the  most  comic  elements 
mixed  up  in  a  very  grave  affair,  the  King  gave  his  consent. 
The  Abbe  was  immediately  told,  and  appeared  the  same 
evening  in  a  suit  of  grey  at  the  august  and  mysterious 
interview.  A  few  moments  later  came  the  King  who,  after 
some  jests  on  the  subject  of  his  costume,  again  established 
the  distance  between  them,  though  his  attitude  was  still 
that  of  a  master  who  confides  in  his  servant.  He  told  the 
Abbe  that  he  intended  to  write  to  the  King  of  Spain,  and 
required  of  him  as  his  faithful  subject  a  frank  opinion  on  the 
letter,  and  on  the  real  sentiments  of  his  Catholic  Majesty. 
The  Abbe  de  La  Ville  replied  without  hesitation  that  if 
sovereigns  were  to  begin  arranging  these  matters  they 
would  soon  be  settled,  and  the  work  of  their  ministers 


88  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

and  ambassadors  would  be  rendered  almost  superfluous. 
The  King  was  satisfied  with  his  answer,  and  proceeded 
to  make  a  few  reflections  on  Monsieur  de  Choiseul's  adminis- 
tration. The  Abbe,  with  a  discretion  that  showed  he  was 
of  the  same  opinion,  refrained  from  speaking  against  his 
minister.  The  King  dismissed  the  Abbe  with  every  mark 
of  goodwill,  and  he  went  away  with  his  head  full  of  agreeable 
illusions.  His  Majesty  was  thus  determined  to  write  to  the 
King  of  Spain.  As  a  feeling  of  pride  had  prevented  him 
from  asking  the  Abb6  de  La  Ville  to  draft  the  letter,  he  began 
to  think  of  suitable  forms  of  expression.  The  first  sentence 
was  slow  in  coming.  "  You  are  doing  it  all  wrong,"  said 
Madame  Du  Barry  ;  "  let  me  make  you  a  rough  copy."  He 
laughingly  consented.  One  of  Mademoiselle  Chon's  couriers 
was  at  once  sent  to  fetch  Monsieur  Du  Barry  from  Luciennes 
that  very  night  ...  to  compose  this  important  letter. 
Du  Barry  set  out  at  midnight,  and  as  it  was  very  dark  and 
the  river  had  overflowed,  his  carriage  upset,  and  for  a 
moment  he  thought  he  was  going  to  drown  in  the  horse-pond 
of  Marly,  but  finally  he  arrived,  dried  himself,  and  carried 
out  his  little  task  as  well  as  he  could.  Madame  Du  Barry 
copied  his  draft  of  the  letter  in  her  own  hand  ;  next  morning 
she  made  the  King  transcribe  it  at  her  writing-table,  and  her 
hairdresser  was  despatched  on  this  important  mission,  a 
duty  over  which  he  spent  only  eighteen  days.1 

The  biased  judgment  of  the  writer  is  already  shown  in 
this  account  with  its  mass  of  ridiculous  and  unlikely  details. 
But  the  intervention  of  the  Abb6  de  La  Ville  is  none  the 
less  well  authenticated  and  was  the  immediate  cause  of 
the  minister's  downfall.  The  King,  having  sent  for  Choiseul, 
demanded  an  accurate  account  of  the  situation.  The 
Duke  said  that  by  the  end  of  January  the  troops  would 
be  ready.  Pale  with  anger,  the  monarch  exclaimed : 
"  Monsieur,  did  I  not  tell  you  that  I  did  not  want  war ;  " 
and  on  December  23  a  messenger  bore  the  following  letter 
from  the  Most  Christian  King  to  His  Catholic  Majesty  : 

Monsieur  my  brother  and  cousin,  your  Majesty  is 
not  ignorant  how  the  spirit  of  independence  and  fanaticism 

1  Mbnoires  du  prince  de  Talleyrand,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  561-563. 


CHOISEUL'S    DISGRACE  89 

has  spread  in  my  kingdom.  I  have  so  far  been  patient  and 
gentle,  but  now  I  am  driven  to  extremity  ;  my  Parliaments 
having  forgotten  themselves  so  far  as  to  dispute  my  sovereign 
authority  which  I  hold  from  God  alone,  I  have  resolved  to 
be  obeyed  at  all  costs.  War  under  the  present  circumstances 
would  be  a  terrible  evil  to  me  and  my  people.  But  my  great 
regard  for  your  Majesty  would  make  me  forget  all  else  for 
you.  My  ministers  are  no  more  than  my  instruments ; 
should  I  find  cause  to  change  them,  be  assured  there  would 
be  no  corresponding  alterations  in  the  relations  between  us  ; 
as  long  as  I  live  we  are  united.  If  your  Majesty  can  without 
detriment  to  your  honour  make  some  sacrifices  for  the 
sake  of  peace,  you  will  do  humanity  a  great  service,  that, 
as  I  am  at  present  placed,  will  also  be  one  to  me  in 
particular. 

The  same  day  the  King  wrote  the  lettre-de-cachet  apprising 
the  Duke  of  his  disgrace,  but  he  did  not  decide  to  send  it 
until  December  24,  when  the  Duke  de  La  Vrilliere  brought 
M.  de  Choiseul  the  following  note  sending  him  into  exile  : — 

Versailles,  December  24,  1770. 

I  command  my  cousin,  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  to  place 
his  resignation  of  his  positions  as  Secretary  of  State  and  as 
Superintendent  of  the  Post  in  the  hands  of  the  Duke  de  La 
Vrilliere,  and  to  retire  to  Chanteloup  until  I  issue  further 
orders.  Louis. 

The  minister's  downfall  may  thus  be  attributed  princi- 
pally to  Madame  Du  Barry.  Without  her,  perhaps  neither 
Maupeou  nor  anyone  else  could  have  succeeded  in  lowering 
him  so  soon  in  the  eyes  of  his  sovereign.  Moreover,  he 
accelerated  his  disgrace  by  his  support  of  the  Parliaments, 
and  by  all  kinds  of  indiscretions,  "  which  we  have  seen  him 
commit,  both  as  minister  and  as  courtier,"  wrote  the  un- 
grateful Kaunitz  to  Mercy.  "  Taking  that  into  account 
I  should  have  been  much  more  surprised  if  he  had  been  able 
to  keep  it  up  in  the  long  run,  than  I  am  now  at  his  disgrace. 
God  grant  at  least  that  he  may  not  be  succeeded  by  an  even 
greater  marplot  than  he  has  been." 

On  Christmas  Day  Monsieur  de  Choiseul  set  forth  on  his 


90  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

exile.  The  intervening  twenty-four  hours  in  Paris  had  been 
an  absolute  triumph.  Both  Court  and  town  called  at  his 
house,  and  a  crowd  gathered  to  pay  him  homage.  He  was 
accompanied  by  the  regrets  of  the  populace  as  the  man 
who  had  driven  away  the  Jesuits,  supported  the  Parlia- 
ments and,  as  it  seemed,  fought  for  liberty  and  the  public 
welfare.  All  kinds  of  ballads  were  written  commenting  on 
the  event,  sometimes  openly  attacking  Louis  XV. 

"  At  last,"  wrote  Talleyrand  in  his  memoirs,  "  Madame 
Du  Barry  began  to  play  the  great  part  of  the  favourite." 
Having  finally  rid  herself  of  her  dangerous  enemy  she  could, 
with  mind  at  ease,  take  possession  of  her  delightful  rooms 
at  Versailles,  whose  gilded  decoration  harmonised  so  well 
with  the  clear  colours  of  her  furniture  and  tapestries,  and 
with  the  blue  of  her  exquisite  porcelain.  She  still  had 
indeed,  to  talk  politics,  and  her  evening  audiences  must 
have  seemed  very  fatiguing  to  others  of  more  delicate 
health ;  but  now  that  she  had  grasped  the  complex 
machinery  of  State  affairs,  she  listened  with  interest  and 
gave  sage  counsel  to  her  sovereign. 

Then  she  returned  to  her  frills  and  furbelows,  to  all  her 
activities  as  a  great  lady  who  was  careful  of  the  fair  fame 
of  her  household.  Therein  lay  her  charm,  that  she  could 
be  both  grave  and  frivolous,  able  to  give  her  attention  for 
hours  at  a  time  to  questions  of  high  policy,  and  then  to 
throw  herself,  wholeheartedly,  like  a  child,  into  the  whims 
and  caprices  suggested  by  her  wayward  fancy.  At  this 
critical  time,  when  absolute  monarchy  was  to  conquer  or 
die  in  its  struggle  with  the  "  bigwigs,"  the  King  drew 
strength  from  the  soul  of  his  mistress  and  won  composure 
under  her  youthful  smiles. 

Before  strong  action  could  be  taken  with  regard  to  the 
Parliament,  the  new  ministry  had  first  to  be  formed.  The 
difficulties  involved  were  great ;  the  incorruptible  Count  de 
Muy,  whom  all  sides  agreed  to  be  the  man  for  the  War  Office, 
refused  to  bend  the  knee  to  the  popular  idol.  At  length  the 
post  was  given  to  the  Marquis  de  Monteynard,  a  gentleman 
of  the  Prince  de  Conde's  household  and  a  protege  of  H.R.H. 


THE   NEW   MINISTERS  91 

Madame  Du  Deffand  wrote  on  January  9,  1771 :  "So  far, 
only  the  War  Office  has  been  filled,  and  by  a  man  of  whom 
one  hears  little  good ;  he  obtained  the  post  through  the 
Prince  de  Conde.  No  one  doubts  that  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon 
will  be  given  Foreign  Affairs,  the  general  belief  being  that 
his  nomination  only  awaits  the  completion  of  negotiations. 
There  are  those  who  say  that  he  is  not  loved  by  the  Prince 
de  Conde.  The  Abbe  Terray  is  engaged  with  the  Admiralty, 
but  only  temporarily.  The  Parliament  affair  is  being  dis- 
cussed, both  sides  giving  way  slightly."  One  thing  was 
certain,  namely,  that  the  mistress  wished  to  fill  the  Council 
with  her  creatures ;  the  Chancellor  put  her  on  her  guard 
as  to  the  secret  proceedings  of  the  Prince  de  Conde,  and 
under  the  influence  of  Richelieu  and  Chon  Du  Barry  she 
planned  to  raise  to  power  that  victim  of  recent  persecution, 
the  Duke  d'Aiguillon. 

In  the  meantime  the  Cabinet  of  Versailles  anxiously 
awaited  the  King  of  Spam's  letter.  At  last  on  January  10, 
1771,  Madame  Du  Barry  learnt  that  a  messenger  had  arrived 
from  Madrid,  and  on  the  following  day  the  Count  de  Fuentes 
delivered  the  letter  to  Louis  XV.  ' '  Monsieur  1' Ambassadeur, ' ' 
said  the  King,  "  I  expected  you  yesterday  evening." 
Charles  III.  wrote  : — 

Monsieur  my  brother  and  cousin,  I  have  always  been 
troubled  at  seeing  the  disobedience  of  the  French  Parliaments 
and  their  attempts  to  encroach  on  Royal  authority  ;  I  have, 
therefore,  nothing  but  praise  for  your  Majesty's  resolution 
to  maintain  your  sovereign  power  and  compel  obedience. 
If  for  such  an  important  purpose,  that  is  of  so  much  concern 
to  your  Majesty,  help  should  be  needed,  all  who  are  dependent 
on  me  would  be  at  your  service,  only  too  happy  to  find  an 
opportunity  of  giving  active  expression  to  my  sentiments 
towards  your  Majesty's  person,  and  of  fulfilling  the  obliga- 
tions of  blood-relationship.  For  the  same  reason  I  shall  do 
all  within  my  power  to  avoid  war.  .  .  .l 

1The  rest  of  the  letter  expresses  an  unconcealed  regret  at  the 
dismissal  of  Choiseul,  and  a  fear  of  the  possible  evil  effects  on  the 
Family  Pact.  These  events  have  been  and  still  are  very  variously 
judged  by  historians. 


92  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

No  one  was  grateful  to  the  King  for  his  opportune  inter- 
vention, except  in  the  Petits  Cabinets,  where  a  gay  and 
animated  company  assembled  for  dinner  on  the  day  the 
happy  news  was  announced.  They  felt  that  for  once  the 
real  interest  of  the  country  had  been  better  served  there 
than  by  Monsieur  de  Choiseul. 

In  greater  spirits  than  ever  the  Countess  made  prepara- 
tion for  the  celebration  of  the  marriage  of  the  Count  de 
Provence.  But  money  was  lacking,  Terray  was  at  his  wits' 
end  to  find  it,  and  the  suspended  services  of  the  Parliament 
fettered  all  activity.  In  order  to  break  down  and  put  an 
end  to  all  resistance,  Maupeou  instigated  the  unprecedented 
action  taken  on  January  19-20.  Each  member  of  the  Parlia- 
ment was  woken  that  night  by  two  musketeers  and  ordered 
to  reply  by  simple  yes  or  no  to  their  question  whether  he 
would  resume  his  duties.  The  majority  of  them  refused, 
with  the  result  that  the  Parliament  was  dissolved  by 
decree  of  the  Grand  Council,  followed  by  the  exile  of  the 
magistrates.  Public  excitement  knew  no  bounds ;  the 
severe  measure,  that  struck  at  respected  and  popular  men, 
roused  a  violent  outcry  against  the  Chancellor.  This  time 
the  pamphlets  scarcely  mentioned  the  favourite;  general 
opinion  did  not  believe  that  such  a  revolution,  the  necessary 
outcome  of  the  bitter  conflict  of  that  period  between 
monarch  and  Parliament,  could  be  the  work  of  a  woman. 

As  d'Aiguillon  was  still  kept  waiting  for  his  nomination, 
people  began  to  think  that  her  ladyship's  domination  was 
yielding  to  the  influence  of  a  rival,  but  in  February,  when 
the  heir  to  the  throne  of  Sweden  arrived  in  Paris,  the  extent 
of  her  power  was  made  manifest.  The  future  Gustavus  III. 
travelled  under  the  name  of  the  Count  de  Gothland ;  he 
was  enthusiastically  received  in  Parisian  salons,  on  which 
the  recent  political  events  had  had  a  most  stimulating  effect. 
Women  ardently  assumed  the  task  of  interpreting  the  new 
theories  ;  their  gatherings  became  miniature  States-generals 
in  which  the  fundamental  constitution  of  the  State  was 
discussed,  and  they  showed  themselves  most  eager  to 
establish  the  principles  of  popular  rights.  The  new  Prince 


GDSTAVUS    III,    KING   OK   SWEDEN 


Gauchtr  sculft. 


PRINCE   CHARMING  93 

Charming,  the  philosophical  traveller,  became  the  divinity 
of  the  hour.1 

Madame  Du  Barry  shared  the  infatuation  of  the  fair 
debaters,  but  at  first  when  she  received  the  august 
visitor,  she  was  careful  not  to  talk  politics  to  him. 
For  the  first  few  days  she  aimed  at  appearing  the 
prettiest  and  best-dressed  of  all,  and  she  charmed  the  foreign 
prince  by  her  dainty  grace,  her  ready  wit  and  her  gentle 
simplicity.  He  saw  her  everywhere,  at  supper  with  the 
King,  out  hunting,  on  the  journeys  to  Marly  and  Choisy. 
Sometimes,  too,  he  saw  the  favourite,  a  radiant  vision  in 
her  blaze  of  jewels,  from  the  box  at  the  Opera  where  the 
Countess  d'Egmont  jealously  kept  him. 

He  was  at  a  performance  at  the  Opera  on  the  evening  of 
March  i,  when  the  Ambassador,  the  Count  de  Creutz, 
announced  to  him  the  sudden  death  of  his  father,  Adolphus 
Frederick.  But  he  did  not  leave  France  immediately,  for 
he  had  only  just  opened  negotiations  with  the  Versailles 
Cabinet ;  over  and  above  this  he  had  fallen  under  the  spell 
of  Paris  and  magnificent  Versailles,  he  had  been  bewitched 
by  the  galaxy  of  charming  young  women  who  flattered 
and  adored  him.  On  March  6  he  was  entertained  at  the 
Academy  of  Science  by  d'Alembert ;  on  the  following  day 
he  visited  the  French  Academy,  where  the  same  d'Alembert 
gave  a  reading  of  a  dialogue  between  Queen  Christina  and 
Descartes,  the  philosopher  whom  that  young  sovereign  had 
so  much  admired.  Madame  Du  Barry  learnt  with  pleasure 
that,  in  spite  of  his  intercourse  with  the  friends  of  Choiseul, 
he  held  himself  perfectly  at  liberty  to  visit  her  in  the  in- 
timacy he  preferred.  Madame  Du  Deffand  had  nothing  but 
praise  for  him.  She  has  given  an  account,  spirited  and  witty 
as  usual,  of  the  supper  at  his  Ambassador's  to  which  he 
invited  her,  and  where  she  met  Madame  d'Aiguillon.  "  The 
fat  Duchess,"  she  wrote,  "  began  to  sing  a  song  I  had  com- 
posed on  my  cask,  after  telling  the  King  it  was  written  in 
my  style.  .  .  .  After  supper  .  .  .  they  made  me 

1  See  Gefiroy,  Gustave  III.,  et  la  Cour  de  France,  Paris,  1867,  Vol. 
I.,  p.  no. 


94  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

sing  L'Ambassade,  and  then  Madame  d'Aiguillon  told  the 
King  to  ask  me  for  the  song  Les  Philosophes,  after  which 
she  whispered  to  him  that  it  was  one  of  my  own  composi- 
tions ;  and  then  the  King  and  she  and  the  whole  company 
cried, '  Author,  author  !  '  as  is  done  at  the  end  of  new  plays." 

On  March  9,  the  Prince  visited  Saint-Germain  and  the 
engine  at  Marly ;  in  the  evening  he  stopped  at  Rueil,  the 
chateau  of  the  famous  cardinal,  where  he  was  received  by 
Madame  d'Aiguillon,  the  Duke  her  son,  her  daughter-in- 
law,  the  Count  de  Maurepas  and  the  Duke  de  Nivernais. 
"  Supper  was  made  to  look  as  if  the  whole  entertainment 
was  a  happy  accident."  With  ingenious  verses  invoking  the 
shade  of  Richelieu,  the  dowager  Duchess  bade  Gustavus 
III.  welcome  in  the  name  of  her  great  ancestor.  Such  an 
occasion  could  not  but  serve  the  interests  of  one  whom  an 
ambitious  mother  dreamt  of  as  destined  to  the  career  of  a 
Choiseul. 

In  the  midst  of  pleasures  and  the  entertainments  given  in 
his  honour,  Gustavus  wisely  did  not  forget  the  welfare  of 
his  country,  and  he  was  most  assiduous  in  paying  his  court 
to  Madame  Du  Barry.  He  was  invited  to  supper  in  her 
little  gabled  rooms,1  and  for  one  whole  evening,  when  alone 
with  her,  heaped  on  her  the  graceful  compliments  that  won 
him  such  appreciation  among  women.  He  even  presented 
her  with  a  diamond  collar  for  Mirza,  her  white  greyhound. 
Many  great  ladies  were  jealous  of  all  these  attentions,  but 
they  tried  in  vain  to  estrange  him  from  the  Countess.  As 
a  token  of  his  continued  regard  he  used  to  send  her  every 
New  Year's  Day  a  magnificent  little  casket  containing  per- 
fumed gloves. 

Having  won  the  support  of  the  favourite,  Gustavus  III. 
left  Paris  on  March  18,  feeling  assured  of  the  success  of  his 
political  arrangements.  A  week  later,  when  he  was  crossing 

1 "  The  King  of  Sweden,"  wrote  Mercy  to  Maria  Theresa,  "  has 
certainly  gone  rather  far  in  his  political  attentions  to  the  favourite, 
and  the  Baron  de  Scheffer  has  complained  of  it.  But  the  fact  is 
also  that  he  was  deceived,  and  when  the  King  of  Sweden  supped  with 
the  Countess  Du  Barry,  he  expected  to  meet  the  Most  Christian 
King,  who  did  not  come."  (Letter  of  April  16,  1771.) 


MAUPEOU  AND  THE  PARLIAMENTS     95 

the  frontier,  he  wrote  to  Louis  XV.  the  following  letter, 
which  was  read  with  much  satisfaction  in  the  Petits  Cabinets  : 

I  cannot  leave  your  Majesty's  domain  without  once 
more  expressing  my  gratitude  for  every  evidence  of  the 
friendship  with  which  you  have  honoured  me,  and  whose 
value  no  sovereign  knows  better  than  I.  If  God  wills  that 
I  reach  my  kingdom  without  untoward  accident,  I  shall  not 
relax  my  efforts  to  strengthen  the  bonds  between  us,  that 
my  personal  feelings  would  henceforth  have  indissoluble. 
Above  all,  I  shall  have  great  pleasure  in  cultivating  the 
correspondence  with  Your  Majesty  which  you  have  so 
graciously  promised  to  maintain.  .  .  . 

The  atmosphere  at  Court  "  seemed  calm  and  brilliant, 
though  excitement  was  very  great.  .  .  .  The  authority 
of  the  Countess  rose  to  such  a  pitch  that  nothing  like  it 
had  ever  been  seen  before."  By  the  help  of  this  authority 
Maupeou  was  able  to  pursue  his  attack  on  the  magistracy, 
which  was  being  vigorously  transformed  in  place  after  place. 
In  a  few  months,  "  except  in  Paris,  all  these  famous  Parlia- 
ments that  had  been  so  united  and  indestructible,  were 
broken  up,  dissolved  and  reconstructed  or  not  as  the  Chan- 
cellor pleased,  an  unheard-of  state  of  affairs."  The  tem- 
porary Parliament,  formed  by  the  Council  of  State,  did  not 
work  well ;  Maupeou  created  another  Parliament  out  of 
the  suppressed  Court  of  Aids  and  the  Grand  Council,  and 
instituted  superior  Councils.  In  carrying  out  his  heavy 
task  he  was  assisted  by  Monsieur  de  Boynes,  the  best  lawyer 
of  the  day,  whom  he  rewarded  by  obtaining  his  appoint- 
ment as  Minister  of  the  Navy,  a  post  that  had  been  left 
vacant  by  the  exile  of  Monsieur  de  Praslin  on  the  same  day 
as  that  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul. 

On  April  13,  the  peers  and  members  of  the  Council 
assembled  in  a  lit  de  justice,  presided  over  by  the  King,  in 
order  to  ratify  the  actions  of  the  chief  magistrate.  The 
Princes  of  the  Blood  showed  their  disapproval  by  their 
absence,  only  the  Count  de  La  Marche,  as  the  friend  of  the 
favourite,  being  there.  But  his  father,  the  Prince  de  Conti, 
headed  the  Parliamentary  opposition  together  with  the 


g6  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Duke  d' Orleans  and  the  son  of  the  latter,  the  Duke  de 
Chartres.  Conde",  who  kept 'in  with  both  parties,  was  this 
time  on  the  side  of  his  cousins,  especially  as  the  mistress 
had  for  some  time  neglected  the  ambitions  of  His  Highness. 

The  sitting  opened  at  Versailles  in  the  large  Salle  des 
Gardes  on  the  morning  of  April  n.  The  staging  of  this 
memorable  coup  d'&tat  was  engineered  with  elaborate 
ceremonial.  Louis  XV.  presided  on  a  throne  of  purple 
velvet,  bestrewn  with  fleurs-de-lys.  "  A  gallery  had  been 
erected  expressly  for  Madame  Du  Barry,  who  was  present 
at  the  Assembly,  and  showed  her  warm  approval  of  the 
Chancellor's  speech."  After  the  lawyer  Seguier  had  spoken, 
the  King  "  hi  a  tone  that  made  one  tremble  "  said  :  "  You 
have  heard  my  wishes.  I  command  you  to  conform  to  them 
and  to  resume  your  duties  on  Monday.  My  Chancellor  will 
administer  the  oath  to  you  to-day.  I  forbid  you  to  take 
any  further  steps  in  the  matter  of  the  former  officers  of  my 
Parliament.  I  shall  never  change." 

On  her  way  back  to  her  apartments  the  favourite  en- 
countered the  gallant  Duke  de  Nivernais.  "  Did  you  hear  ? " 
she  asked  him.  "  The  King  said  he  will  never  change." 
"  Yes,  Madame,  but  he  was  looking  at  you,"  retorted  the 
witty  courtier. 

This  supreme  effort  freed  Louis  XV.  from  all  manner  of 
care  and  anxiety,  thanks  to  the  perseverance  of  his  mistress 
and  the  energy  of  Maupeou.  The  Chancellor's  enemies 
themselves  were  bound  to  recognise  the  wideness  of  his  views 
and  his  decision  of  character ;  but  all  the  same,  seditious 
handbills  and  placards  of  a  grossly  insulting  nature  were 
disseminated.  "  At  Marais,  rue  de  Grand-Chantier,"  for 
instance,  "  a  gallows  had  been  painted  on  the  wall,  and  from 
the  gallows  hung  a  man,  under  whom  the  words  '  The 
Chancellor '  were  written."  But  Maupeou  was  content 
to  be  supported  by  Voltaire,  who  could  not  forgive  the 
magistrates  for  their  sentences  on  Lally,  Calas  and  La  Barre. 
A  news- writer  remarked  on  May  15  :  "  That  Monsieur  de 
Voltaire  has  addressed  a  letter  to  Monsieur  le  Chancelier 
congratulating  him  on  the  success  of  his  plans,  appears 


THE   "RED-HAIRED   CHILD"  97 

to  be  certain.  He  commends  the  comprehensive  character, 
the  importance  and  vast  combination  of  these  schemes, 
and  praises  the  eloquence  of  his  speeches.  He  concludes 
with  the  remark  that  Cardinal  de  Fleury  through  a  treaty 
added  Lorraine  to  French  territory,  that  the  Duke  de 
Choiseul  won  us  Corsica,  but  that  Monsieur  de  Maupeou, 
greater  than  both  these  great  ministers,  has  restored  to  the 
King  the  whole  of  France."  Maupeou  replied  to  the 
illustrious  philosopher  :  "I  thank  you  for  the  justice  you 
have  done  my  views  ;  your  support  encourages  me  to  do  still 
better."1 

After  so  much  agitation  the  King  longed  for  peace  ;  he 
wished  to  be  free  at  last  to  taste  the  charm  of  living  with  his 
faithfully  loved  mistress.  With  increasing  age  the  monarch's 
evil  propensities  had  abated ;  the  Parc-aux-Cerfs  and  its 
attendant  scandals  were  at  an  end  ;  his  Majesty  had  parted 
with  the  deserted  little  house  in  the  rue  Saint-Mederic,  where 
the  bewitching  O'Murphy  had  formerly  lived. 

But,  though  nothing  further  overshadowed  the  favourite's 
power,  her  heart  was  saddened  and  her  pride  thwarted  by 
the  aversion  of  the  Dauphine.  Perhaps,  as  has  been 
supposed,  she  excited  this  hatred  in  the  beginning  by  her 
rather  disparaging  remarks  on  the  negligent  attire  and 
irregular  features  of  the  "  red-haired  "  child.  Maybe  also 
she  had  allowed  her  roguish  wit  to  play  with  too  much  free- 
dom on  the  strange  relations  between  the  royal  couple, 
whom  no  intimacy  could  unite.  If  so,  the  Archduchess 
assuredly  heard  of  it,  and  could  not  forgive  the  "  impertinent 
creature. ' '  Wounded  in  her  vanity  and  her  mind  still  further 

1  Shortly  after  this  a  rumour  was  circulated  involving  the  name 
of  the  favourite  :  "  Monsieur  de  Voltaire's  followers  assert  that  his 
return  to  the  capital  is  certain.  They  say  that  Monsieur  le  Chance- 
lier  has  persuaded  Madame  Du  Barry  to  win  from  the  King  this  long- 
desired  favour.  They  add  that  the  chief  of  the  magistracy  could 
not  refuse  the  illustrious  exile's  petition  after  the  zeal  the  latter  had 
shown  in  his  cause,  and  that  he  took  into  account  .  .  .  his  useful- 
ness in  influencing  people's  minds."  This  information,  with  its 
attempts  at  irony,  only  succeeded  in  emphasising  to  the  public  mind 
how  much  the  Chancellor  and  his  supporter,  the  favourite,  valued 
the  countenance  of  such  a  man  as  Voltaire. 


98  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

poisoned  by  Mesdames,  proud  Marie  Antoinette's  animosity 
towards  the  triumphant  Du  Barry  may  be  easily  understood. 
Mercy's  clear  and  detailed  letters  to  his  Queen  discredit 
the  fantastic  stories  of  the  pamphleteers  on  this  subject. 
Were  they  true,  Her  Royal  Highness  herself  would  have 
urged  in  reply  to  her  mother's  remonstrances  the  insulting 
remarks  the  Countess  was  said  to  have  made  with  regard 
to  the  Empress.1 

The  King  suffered  even  more  than  the  favourite  from  the 
awkwardness  of  the  situation.  To  improve  matters  and 
reconcile  the  adversaries,  to  break  the  pride  of  the  stubborn 
little  Archduchess,  no  less  was  needed  than  the  politic 
reprimands  of  Maria  Theresa,  the  adroit  diplomacy  of  Mercy 
and  the  entreaties  of  Kaunitz,  who  feared  a  breach  of  the 
Alliance. 

Madame  Du  Barry  counted  on  the  arrival  of  the  Countess 
de  Provence  to  assist  her  in  winning  the  favour  of  the 
Royal  Family.  She  was  charged  with  the  formation  of  the 
household  of  the  Princess,  and,  in  order  to  give  posts  to  all 
her  creatures,  she  had  ordained  a  service  as  luxurious  and 
ostentatious  as  that  of  the  Dauphine  herself.  "  Monsieur 
le  Dauphin  has  expressed  annoyance  at  this  arrangement, 
which  he  knows  to  be  due  to  the  designs  of  partial  and 
intriguing  persons,"  wrote  Mercy,  and  the  Ambassador 
added  that  the  Archduchess  "  was  much  more  careful  in  her 
conversation.  For  a  long  time  I  have  not  heard  that  she 
has  said  a  word  on  the  subject  of  Madame  Du  Barry  and  her 
advisers."  She  was,  however,  very  prejudiced  against 
the  favourite,  unreasonably  so  in  the  opinion  of  her  mother. 
On  the  subject  of  her  future  sister-in-law,  she  wrote : 
"  I  very  much  fear  that  if  she  is  at  all  stupid  and  not  fore- 
warned, she  will  be  altogether  on  Madame  Du  Barry's  side. 
Everything  is  done  to  win  her  over,  for  her  mistress  of  the 
robes,  who  is  to  be  Madame  de  Valentinois,  is  of  that  party." 

1  She  was  said  to  have  read  aloud  a  letter  from  the  Ambassador, 
Louis  de  Rohan,  indiscreetly  communicated  to  her  by  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon,  in  which  Maria  Theresa  was  grossly  insulted.  See 
Boutry,  Autour  de  Marie- Antoinette,  Paris,  1906,  p.  223. 


A   CONGENIAL   TASK  99 

These  and  other  similar  remarks  disturbed  the  Empress, 
who  desired  above  all  that  harmony  should  reign  at  Ver- 
sailles. 

The  favourite  bent  all  her  wits  to  making  the  entertain- 
ments at  the  forthcoming  wedding  as  sumptuous  as  possible, 
to  attain  which  end  she  worked  in  concert  with  the  Duke 
-de  Duras,  the  First  Lord-in-waiting  for  the  year,  and  with 
La  Ferte,  the  Master  of  the  Ceremonies.  Presents  were 
bought,  fireworks  ordered,  plays  to  be  acted  chosen,  balls, 
great  dinners  and  receptions  organised.  "  We  are  over- 
burdened with  work,"  wrote  La  Ferte  in  his  diary.  "  I  have 
arranged  all  the  jewels  of  the  wedding  presents,  which  are 
very  beautiful.  The  King,  to  whom  I  had  the  honour  of 
showing  at  the  levee  the  watch,  the  chatelaine  and  the 
snuffbox  for  Madame  la  Comtesse  de  Provence,  was  pleased 
with  them."  The  chatelaine  was  the  marvellous  handiwork 
of  the  jeweller  Gaillard ;  it  was  covered  with  brilliants, 
and  "  furnished  with  knives,  scissors,  tablets,  a  pencil-case, 
a  six-inch  rule,  and  other  articles."  Altogether  it  was  worth 
28,117  livres,  and  was  the  King's  present  to  the  bride. 

On  May  n  the  Court  left  for  Fontainebleau.  "  The 
following  day  the  whole  Royal  Family  travelled  at  a  distance 
of  two  leagues  in  front  of  Madame  la  Comtesse  de  Provence."1 
Madame  Du  Barry  followed  triumphantly  hi  the  suite 
accompanied  by  her  faithful  friends.  On  the  occasion  of 
this  princely  wedding  she  wore  her  wonderful  gold  and  silver 
dresses,  and  everywhere  she  was  seen  to  take  the  first  place. 
On  leaving  the  chapel  his  Majesty  received  the  cortige  in 
his  Cabinet.  "  The  sight  was  most  agreeable,  and  interesting 
by  reason  of  the  evidence  it  afforded  of  the  good  terms 
on  which  the  King  is  with  his  family,"  wrote  the  Duke  de 
Croy.  "  His  distinguished  appearance,  his  gaiety  and  his 
pleasure  in  marrying  one  of  his  grandchildren,  were  remark- 
able ;  he  certainly  did  not  look  his  sixty  years."  Play  in 
the  evening  was  most  animated,  the  company  being  very 
numerous,  and  perhaps  a  trifle  mixed  ;  200  louis  were  stolen 
from  the  pocket  of  Monsieur  de  Soubise.  "  The  favourite 
1  Mercy  to  Maria  Theresa,  May  22,  1771. 


ioo  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

looked  like  a  lady  born,  and  was  not  in  the  least  embarrassed 
though  of  the  King's  party  with  all  the  Royal  Family." 
The  happy  young  bridegroom,  who  wore  the  gold-laced  coat 
of  his  Order,  displayed  much  wit.  When  the  Dauphin  was 
asked  to  give  his  opinion  of  his  sister-in-law,  he  declared 
without  beating  about  the  bush  that  he  "  should  not  at  all 
care  to  have  her  for  a  wife  himself."  The  little  Piedmontese 
was,  notwithstanding,  very  agreeable,  though  she  compared 
most  unfavourably  with  the  Dauphine  in  gracefulness  and 
with  the  favourite  in  beauty. 

Even  in  the  midst  of  this  whirl  of  festivities,  Madame 
Du  Barry  did  not  forget  her  political  enterprises.  On 
June  5,  judging  the  moment  favourable,  she  wrung  from  the 
King  his  consent  to  the  appointment  of  d'Aiguillon  as 
Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs.  Chamfort  has  described,  with 
greater  satire  than  accuracy,  how  the  event  took  place  : 
"  The  fact  of  the  matter  is  that  the  King  never  nominated 
Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  as  Foreign  Secretary,  and  the  friends 
of  the  latter  know  it ;  for  Madame  Du  Barry  said  to  him  : 
'  This  business  must  come  to  an  end,  and  to-morrow  morning 
I  want  you  to  go  to  the  King  and  thank  him  for  having 
given  you  the  post/  She  said  to  the  King  :  '  Monsieur 
d'Aiguillon  is  coming  to-morrow  to  thank  you  for  his 
nomination  as  Foreign  Secretary.'  The  King  said  not  a 
word  hi  reply.  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  dared  not  go ;  but 
finally  when  commanded  by  Madame  Du  Barry,  he  went. 
The  King  said  nothing  to  him,  and  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  took 
up  his  duties  on  the  spot."1 

Chanteloup  was  indignant,  but  Choiseul's  friends  had 
to  put  up  with  the  new  state  of  affairs.  "  Can  I  possibly 
have  forgotten,"  wrote  Madame  Du  Deffand  to  Walpole, 
"  to  tell  you  the  news  of  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon's  nomination, 
which  took  place  on  the  5th  of  this  month  ?  He  gave  his 
first  dinner  yesterday,  at  which  there  were  fifty-five  persons  ; 
his  mother,  Madame  d'Aiguillon,  and  his  sister-in-law  acted 
as  hostesses.  The  Diplomatic  Coips  are  all  enchanted 
with  our  fat  Duchess  ;  she  is  indeed  charming  ;  her  gaiety 

l(Euvres  de  Chamfort ,  Paris,  1851,  p.  68. 


PARENTAL   ADVICE  101 

is  so  natural,  so  simple,  so  utterly  devoid  of  pride  and  vain- 
glory, and  she  is  so  far  from  presuming  that  all  the  different 
parties  are  pleased  with  her,  respect  and  love  her,  and  wish 
her  well." 

Monsieur  d'Aiguillon's  elevation  to  power,  although 
expected,  enraged  his  adversaries,  as  was  indicated  by  the 
attitude  of  the  Count  de  Fuentes,  the  Spanish  Ambassador, 
who  wrote  to  the  Court  at  Madrid  asking  to  be  recalled.1 
The  Duke  understood  that  he  needed  the  support  of  the 
Austrian  party  in  order  to  win  prestige  and  political  author- 
ity. Consequently  he  fell  in  with  the  views  of  Louis  XV. 
and  the  favourite,  and  sought  to  overcome  Marie  Antoinette. 
To  attain  this  object  he  had  to  circumvent  Mercy,  confiden- 
tial adviser  to  the  Empress.  The  latter  would  be  all  the 
more  likely  to  countenance  the  Minister  in  that  she  had 
reason  to  keep  on  good  terms  with  the  Cabinet  at  Versailles 
on  account  of  the  proposed  Partition  of  Poland.  In  her 
large  handwriting  she  wrote  a  letter  in  rough  and  clumsy 
French,  scolding  her  froward  daughter,  who  refused  to  give 
way  before  the  party  of  the  Barriens  : 

"  No  cringing,"  said  Maria  Theresa,  "  do  not  flatter 
or  court  them,  for  you  are  as  good  as  they  at  Court,  but  as 
a  child  you  owe  especial  deference  to  his  [the  King's]  wishes 
without  enquiring  into  their  origin  and  sifting  their  merits. 
It  must  be  enough  that  the  King  has  distinguished  such 
and  such  a  person  for  you  to  owe  him  or  her  respect,  but  no 
cringing.  So  far  your  actions  have  been  attributed  to  the 
influence  of  Mesdames,  but  in  the  long  run  the  King  will  be 
wearied."  This  severe  language  from  her  diplomatic 
mother  is  to  be  ascribed  to  d'Aiguillon's  complaining  to 
Mercy,  at  the  order  of  Louis  XV.,  of  the  ever  growing  hatred 
of  the  Dauphine  for  the  mistress  and  her  friends.  The 
Princess  "  did  not  confine  herself  to  refusing  them  the  treat- 
ment due  to  such  as  are  members  of  the  Court,  but  in 
addition  she  used  expressions  against  them  full  of  satire  and 
hatred,  thus  inflaming  party  spirit  at  Court ;  Madame  la 

1  See  Flammermont,  Les  correspondances  des  agents  diplomatiques 
Strangers  en  France  avant  la  Revolution,  p.  458. 


102  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Dauphine's  bearing  was,  moreover,  too  childish  and  lively. 
All  these  circumstances  have  resulted  in  destroying  the 
King's  liking  and  tenderness  for  her,  and  some  remedy  for 
the  awkward  situation  will  have  to  be  found."1 

Following  the  entreaties  and  example  of  the  Countess  de 
Provence,  the  young  Dauphine  relented  a  little ;  one 
June  evening  at  Compiegne,  when  playing  lansquenet  at 
the  King's  card  table,  "  she  spoke  to  the  favourite  whenever 
the  exigencies  of  the  game  so  required,  and  did  so  with  a 
good  grace."2  And  on  the  day  of  the  Royal  Review  she 
allowed  Madame  d'Aiguillon,  the  new  minister's  wife,  to 
accompany  her  in  her  carriage. 

But  sudden  changes  in  Madame  la  Dauphine's  temper 
could  always  be  expected,  and  the  Countess  was  as  yet 
by  no  means  at  ease.  She  was  further  subjected  to  the 
incessant  importunities  of  the  Roue  ;  he  had  returned  to  his 
life  of  dissipation,  run  into  debt  and  published  his  licentious- 
ness abroad  in  every  way.  He  travelled  a  great  deal, 
visited  all  the  fashionable  watering-places,  and  altogether 
cut  a  very  fine  figure.  He  spent  money  like  water,  and 
displayed  his  mistress,  Madame  de  Murat,  with  pride. 
As  his  manners  deteriorated  he  was  forsaken  by  his  former 
friends,  and  was  always  to  be  found  at  the  gaming  table. 
Many  anecdotes  were  current  on  the  subject  of  his  insolence, 
of  which  the  following  is  an  example  :  "  He  was  as  bare- 
faced as  ever  one  day  when  he  held  the  stakes  at  Spa. 
He  seemed  suspicious  of  the  Dowager  Electress  of  Saxony. 
.  .  .  On  the  Princess  expressing  some  surprise,  the 
Count  exclaimed :  '  A  thousand  pardons,  Madame,  my 
suspicions  cannot  fall  on  you ;  you  sovereigns  only  cheat 
for  crowns.' ' 

Whatever  Count  Jean's  ambitious  projects  may  have 
been,  his  sister-in-law  utterly  refused  to  further  them  by 
exerting  her  influence  over  the  King.  But  she  had  his 
claims  satisfied  with  regard  to  the  Corsican  supplies,  for 
which  he  had  contracted  under  the  name  of  Nallet ;  as 

1  Mercy  to  Maria  Theresa,  June  22,  1771. 
1  Mercy  to  Maria  Theresa,  July  24,  1771. 


THE    FAVOURITE'S    ALLOWANCE  103 

indemnity  he  was  given  from  the  Royal  Treasury  the  hand- 
some sum  of  300,000  livres,  on  which  he  could  live  for  some 
time  in  great  style.  The  life-annuities  and  the  contracts  he 
received  from  the  Abbe  Terray  as  reimbursement  for  the 
advances  he  had  made  the  favourite,  he  exchanged  for  the 
County  of  L'Isle-Jourdain.  Madame  Du  Barry  could  at  last 
believe  that  the  moment  had  come  to  rid  herself  of  him 
completely.  She  gave  him  to  understand  that  he  had 
received  enough ;  Jean  Du  Barry  himself  described  the 
change  in  their  relations  :  "  This  was  the  time  when  Madame 
Du  Barry  .  .  .  thought  herself  free  from  all  further 
obligation  towards  me,  and  she  stopped  coming  to  see  me 
on  her  visits  to  Paris,  and  excused  herself  from  receiving  me 
when  my  private  affairs  took  me  to  Versailles."1 

In  her  anxiety  not  to  embarrass  the  King  the  favourite 
never  spoke  of  her  mother,  as  Madame  de  Pompadour  had 
continually  done  when  she  first  came  to  Court.  She  was, 
nevertheless,  solicitous  for  her  well-being,  and  Madame 
Ran£on,  now  Madame  de  Montrabe,  possessed  both  menser- 
vants  and  carriages.  Mademoiselle  Chon  Du  Barry  continued 
to  live  with  the  young  Countess  as  her  chief  confidant.  On 
the  maintenance  of  a  numerous  household,  on  presents,  on 
pensions,  on  alms,  on  orders  to  artists,  and  especially  on 
the  enormous  item  of  dress,  Madame  Du  Barry  expended 
most  of  the  pension  the  King  had  decided  to  grant  her. 
The  amount  of  this  pension  was  at  first  200,000  livres  a 
month,  rose  to  250,000  in  1771,  then  to  300,000,  and  was 
remitted  to  her  by  the  Court  banker,  Monsieur  de  Beau j on, 
sometimes  in  cash,  sometimes  in  the  form  of  acceptances 
of  the  drafts  with  which  she  satisfied  the  demands  of  too 
pressing  creditors.2  Her  fortune  was  administered  and  her 

1  The  Roue  adds  in  this  letter  to  Malesherbes  :  "  This  state  of 
affairs  lasted  two  years.  I  hoped  that  the  marriage  of  my  son  would 
effect  some  alteration.  I  then  appeared  for  the  first  time  before  the 
late  King,  and  in  spite  of  the  kindness  with  which  he  honoured  me, 
I  won  not  the  slightest  expression  of  goodwill  from  my  sister-in-law. 
Since  then  I  have  only  seen  her  once,  on  the  second  day  of  the 
King's  illness."  The  Roue's  letters  to  Madame  Du  Barry  afford 
ample  proof  of  the  extreme  coldness  between  them. 

8  The  monthly  accounts  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  expenditure  are 


104  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

accounts  kept  by  Maitre  Lepot-d'Auteuil,  her  lawyer. 
Need  one  add  that,  in  spite  of  the  enormous  income  she 
enjoyed  during  four  years,  she  was  always  in  arrears  and 
in  debt  ? 

Madame  Du  Barry,  unlike  her  predecessor,  drew  very 
little  on  the  Royal  Treasury  on  behalf  of  her  friends.  All 
witnesses  agree  that  she  showed  a  restraint  in  this  respect 
which  was  not  imitated  by  Marie  Antoinette's  favourites. 
The  prote'ge'  who  exacted  most  of  her  could  plead  a  superior 
cause,  for  he  was  none  other  than  Gustavus  III.  himself, 
the  King  of  Sweden.  He  needed  money  for  his  coup  d'etat 
against  the  nobility  of  his  country,  and  he  turned  to  Ver- 
sailles for  help.  The  demand  was  heavy  on  French  finance, 
which  was  in  a  difficult  position,  but  the  mistress  supported 
the  monarch  who  had  made  himself  so  agreeable  to  her. 

She  had  not  failed  to  present  the  King  with  one  of  the 
portraits  in  which  Drouais  had  delineated  her  fair  and 
smiling  beauty ;  that  the  artist  painted  her  expressly  for 
that  purpose  is  shown  by  his  accounts,  though  the  picture 
has  not  been  found  in  any  Swedish  collection.  Hall  also 
drew  for  his  master  the  lineaments  of  the  favourite's  pretty 
face  in  one  of  his  charming  miniatures.1  The  Countess 
d'Egmont  was  greatly  distressed  at  the  rumours  of  the  good 
terms  on  which  her  ladyship  was  with  Gustavus.  She 
wrote  on  June  27,  1771  :  "I  believe  the  time  has  come  for 
me  to  tell  your  Majesty  of  a  rumour  that  has  affected  me 
most  painfully.  You  are  said  to  have  asked  for  Madame 
Du  Barry's  portrait,  and  even  to  have  written  to  her  for  it. 
I  have  roundly  denied  it,  but  the  truth  of  the  story  has 
been  so  positively  affirmed  that  I  beseech  you  to  authorise 
me  to  do  so  at  once."  And  later :  "I  beg  you  to  make  it 
possible  for  me  to  send  you  my  portrait.  I  cannot  do  so 
without  your  word  of  honour  that  you  have  not,  and  never 
will  have,  that  of  Madame  Du  Barry."  2 

kept  in  the  Bibliotheqiie  nationale,  the  first  dated  one  being  for  the 
month  of  July,  1770. 

1  In  the  collection  of  the  late  Mr.  Pierpont  Morgan. 

1  The  Countess  d'Egmont's  portrait,  which  was  sent  to  Gustavus 
*n  J773»  was  also  one  of  Hall's  miniatures. 


MADAME    I)U    BARRY 
h'roni  a  miniature  l>y  Hall 


A   TIRING   CORRESPONDENCE  105 

Gustavus  III.  was  not  able  to  give  his  word  of  honour, 
and  Madame  d'Egmont  repeated  her  anxious  question  in 
vain.  Fairness  demands  that  her  spite  should  not  be 
ascribed  only  to  jealousy,  but  also  to  her  supreme  hatred  of 
the  woman  who  represented  the  triumphant  party  at  Court. 
Richelieu's  daughter  was  a  Republican,  and  she  loved 
Gustavus,  "  the  hero  of  her  heart,"  because,  theoretically  at 
least,  he  appreciated,  as  she  did,  the  philosophy  and  the 
sentimental  liberalism  of  Rousseau.  Even  in  her  last  illness 
she  used  to  write  to  him  on  political  themes,  romantically 
exalted  letters,  perhaps,  but  inspired  by  noble  thought.  And 
her  Gustavus  answered  more  willingly  than  any  of  the  other 
Parisian  women  with  whom  he  kept  up  this  style  of  corre- 
spondence. At  length  he  began  to  weary  of  his  charming 
Mentor's  serious  disquisitions,  as  he  never  would  have  done 
of  the  fresh  little  notes  Madame  Du  Barry  might  have 
written  to  him,  had  his  fair  friends  not  forbidden  him  to 
receive  them. 

The  favourite  was  continually  tossed  from  one  extreme 
of  emotion  to  the  other,  at  one  moment  calm  and  confident, 
the  next  fearful  and  despairing.  For  the  little  Countess  de 
Provence,  on  whom  the  Barriens  had  based  their  hopes, 
disconcerted  them  by  her  circumspection,  whilst  her  clever 
husband  adroitly  flattered  each  of  the  two  parties  in  turn. 
Only  the  support  of  the  Dauphine  promised  security,  and  the 
mistress  returned  again  and  again  to  the  task  of  winning  it. 

On  Sunday,  July  28,  the  Duchess  de  Valentinois,  Mistress 
of  the  Robes  to  the  Countess  de  Provence,  gave  a  grand 
supper  at  Compiegne,  to  which  Madame  Du  Barry  and 
Mercy  were  both  invited.  The  Ambassador  sent  a  prompt 
account  of  the  interview  to  the  Empress  :  "I  arrived  there 
with  the  Papal  Nuntio  and  the  Sardinian  Ambassador,  who 
were  also  invited.1  We  found  the  company  included  the 
Duke  and  Duchess  d'Aiguillon,  the  Duke  de  La  Vrilliere, 
a  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber,  other  Ladies-in- Waiting  to  the 

1  Mercy  did  not  mention  that  the  Spanish  Ambassador  declined 
the  invitation.  A  few  days  later  Caracciolo,  the  Neapolitan  Ambassa- 
dor, made  his  excuses  when  invited  to  a  similar  supper.  See  Flam- 
mermont,  op.  cit.,  pp.  419-421. 


106  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Countess  de  Provence,  and  the  Countess  Du  Barry.  This 
was  the  first  time  I  found  myself  actually  in  the  presence 
of  the  woman.  The  Sardinian  Ambassador  spoke  to  her 
first  in  the  manner  of  one  well  acquainted  with  her,  while 
the  Nuntio  showed  much  eagerness  to  join  in  the  conversa- 
tion ;  I  thought  it  my  duty  to  observe  greater  discretion, 
and  did  not  begin  to  talk  at  ease  with  the  favourite  until 
she  had  addressed  a  few  words  to  me.  She  treated  me  with 
more  distinction  than  she  did  the  others.  .  .  ."  Mon- 
sieur de  Mercy  often  repeated  these  last  words  with  some 
self-complacency,  but  always  discreetly,  without  owning  to 
the  charm  of  "  the  woman,"  and  even  depreciating  it  to 
Maria  Theresa ;  but  then  his  whole  attitude  towards  her 
was  coloured  by  consciousness  of  his  position  as  the  servant 
of  the  Empress. 

At  the  same  supper  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  invited  the 
Count,  in  the  name  of  the  King,  to  call  next  day  at  the 
favourite's.  "  You  know  I  am  not  so  placed  here  that  I 
can  see  him  with  ease,"  said  His  Majesty,  "  so  ask  him  to 
come  and  see  me  at  Madame  Du  Barry's."  "  I  could  say 
nothing,"  said  Mercy,  "  though  I  was  determined  not  to 
leave  the  other  Ambassadors  in  ignorance  of  the  step  I 
intended  to  take  ;  but  I  learnt  that  the  Sardinian  Ambas- 
sador had  already  expressed  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  his 
desire  to  call  on  the  favourite,  while  the  Ambassadors  of 
England,  Venice  and  Holland  had  also  decided  to  pay  her  a 
visit."  Such  diplomatic  receptions,  in  fact,  merely  followed 
the  precedent  set  by  Madame  de  Pompadour. 

On  Tuesday,  at  her  toilette,  Marie  Antoinette  compli- 
mented Mercy,  in  a  low  voice,  "  on  the  fine  company  "  he 
kept.  At  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening  he  was  admitted  to 
the  apartments  of  the  Countess,  and  was  most  graciously 
received.  His  Majesty  had  not  yet  arrived,  and  thus  she 
had  time  to  tell  him  of  her  grievances  against  the  Dauphine, 
assuring  him  that  the  present  state  of  affairs  was  extremely 
painful  to  her.  The  King  entered  by  a  secret  staircase,  and 
turned  to  the  visitor  saying  :  "So  far  you  have  been  Am- 
bassador for  the  Empress  ;  I  now  beg  of  you  to  be  mine,  at 


A   HUMILIATION  107 

least  for  the  present."  And  with  the  embarrassment  that 
he  always  showed  when  called  on  to  give  a  direct  explana- 
tion, he  complained  of  the  young  Princess,  and  especially 
of  Mesdames  who  had  proved  such  misguided  counsellors. 
He  requested  that  she  should  "  grant  Madame  Du  Barry 
exactly  the  same  treatment  as  everyone  else  who  had  been 
presented  was  entitled  to  expect,  assuring  him  that  any 
other  conduct  created  scenes  at  Court  and  excited  party 
spirit  and  intrigue." 

After  this  audience  Marie  Antoinette  had  to  submit  to 
still  more  pressing  admonitions  from  Mercy.  The  Dauphin 
thought  she  ought  to  speak  to  the  Countess,  and  she  promised 
to  do  so  on  the  first  possible  occasion.  On  September  n 
the  favourite  joined  the  party  of  the  Dauphine  at  cards, 
Mercy  also  being  present.  At  the  end  of  the  evening 
the  Princess  took  leave  of  the  ladies,  addressing  a  few 
gracious  words  to  each  ;  she  was  moving  towards  Madame 
Du  Barry  when  she  was  interrupted  by  the  imperious  voice 
of  Madame  Adelaide,  who  had  noticed  her  intention : 
"  Come,  it  is  time  to  go  !  We  shall  wait  for  the  King  at 
Madame  Victoire's."  And  the  Royal  child  obediently 
followed  her  aunt  without  saying  a  word. 

Louis  XV.,  who  was  to  sup  with  his  family  after  the 
Council  meeting,  went  first  to  hear  how  the  favourite  had 
been  received,  and  guessed  the  humiliation  she  had  suffered 
from  the  sadness  of  her  expressive  eyes.  In  order  to  screen 
his  Archduchess,  Mercy  explained  the  scene  as  well  as  he 
could  to  d'Aiguillon,  while  the  mistress,  with  forced  gaiety, 
presided  over  the  supper  to  which  she  had  invited  the 
Ambassadors.  When  His  Majesty  returned  he  took  the 
Austrian  envoy  aside,  saying  :  "  Well,  Monsieur  de  Mercy, 
did  you  speak  to  Madame  la  Dauphine  ?  Your  counsels  do 
not  seem  to  have  resulted  in  much  ;  I  shall  have  to  come  to 
your  help ! ' '  The  tone  in  which  he  spoke  was  bitterly  ironical, 
and  without  awaiting  reply  the  King  turned  his  back.1 

1  P.  de  Nolhac,  op.  cit.,  pp.  198  et  seq.,  makes  full  use  of  Mercy's 
detailed  reports  on  the  situation  to  the  Empress,  and  more  concise 
letters  to  Kaunitz. 


io8  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

As  soon  as  Maria  Theresa  heard  of  what  had  passed,  she 
wrote  from  Schonbrunn : 

You  only  act  as  your  aunts  tell  you  to  do.  .  .  .  I 
respect  them,  I  love  them,  but  they  have  never  known  how 
to  win  love  and  respect  from  their  family  or  from  the  people, 
and  you  will  follow  in  their  footsteps.  What  is  this  fear 
and  embarrassment  at  speaking  to  the  King,  who  is  the 
best  of  fathers,  or  to  those  to  whom  you  are  advised  to 
speak  ?  .  .  .  You  have  allowed  yourself  to  become  so 
enslaved  that  the  voice  of  reason,  of  duty  even,  cannot  help 
you.  I  can  no  longer  be  silent  after  Mercy's  communication. 
What  good  reason  can  you  give  for  not  having  done  as  he 
told  you  that  the  King  desired,  and  your  duty  demanded 
of  you  ?  None.  You  should  not  think  of  the  Barry  in 
any  other  light  than  that  of  a  lady  who  has  been  admitted 
to  Court,  and  to  the  society  of  the  King.  You  are  his  chief 
subject,  and  owe  him  obedience  and  submission  ;  you  ought 
to  set  an  example  to  the  Court  in  carrying  out  the  wishes 
of  your  master.  If  any  cringing  or  familiarity  were 
expected  of  you,  not  I  nor  any  one  would  advise  it ;  but  a 
casual  word,  not  for  her  ladyship's  sake,  but  for  your 
grandfather,  your  master,  your  benefactor  !  ...  If  you 
give  way  to  this  feeling  I  foresee  much  unhappiness  for  you  ; 
your  days  will  be  made  miserable  by  petty  intrigues  and 
quarrels.  .  .  . 

The  young  Princess  rebelled  against  such  strange  pre- 
cepts, for,  though  her  conduct  had  been  influenced  by  Mes- 
dames  de  France,  it  was  chiefly  inspired  by  her  feelings  of 
injured  pride  and  vanity. 

At  this  time  there  appeared  in  England  the  Gazetier 
cuirasse,  a  pamphlet  of  unbounded  licentiousness,  whose 
calumnies,  however  coarse,  are  largely  responsible  for  the 
legends  that  have  grown  up  around  the  person  of  Madame 
Du  Barry.1  The  author,  Theveneau  de  Morande,  was  a 
French  refugee  in  London,  who  attacked  the  most  prom- 
inent people,  unless  they  paid  a  ransom  to  escape  his  scan- 

1  So  says  Pidansat  de  Mayrobert  in  his  Anecdotes.  The  little 
pamphlet,  which  was  sold  at  not  less  than  a  guinea,  is  mentioned 
in  a  letter  from  London  of  August  7,  1771,  in  the  Memoires  secrets, 
Vol.  V.,  p.  296.  See  Paul  Roubiquet,  Theveneau  de  Morande,  p.  33. 


A    SINISTER   OMEN  109 

dalous  lies.  The  book  was  brought  to  the  favourite's  notice, 
but  she  thought  best  to  ignore  it  for  fear  of  rousing  the  anger 
of  the  King.  Her  silence  only  induced  Morande  to  renew 
his  libels. 

There  was  an  exquisitely  carved  but  empty  frame  at  the 
Salon  of  1771  that  was  intended  for  a  portrait  of  Madame 
du  Barry.  This  time  she  was  drawn  as  a  muse,  but  a  muse 
so  lightly  draped  that  when  the  picture  arrived  there  was 
a  general  outcry,  although  the  public  were  accustomed  to 
transgressions  of  this  description.  The  painting  was  with- 
drawn until  the  artist  had  replaced  by  a  long  robe  the  veil 
that  revealed  rather  than  concealed  his  sitter's  white  love- 
liness.1 The  smiling  goddess  was  shown  resting  on  her  lyre 
and  scattering  roses.  She  was  extravagantly  tall,  measuring, 
indeed,  six  feet  and  a  half,  majestic  as  a  classic  statue 
of  Venus,  but  losing  thereby  the  womanly  charm  of  her 
delicate  beauty.  And  nothing  in  her  face  "  did  justice 
to  the  attractive  play  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  features." 
No  doubt  the  first  coat  of  white,  with  which  the  painter 
aimed  at  achieving  uniformity  in  his  colouring,  was  respon- 
sible for  the  dulness  of  her  complexion.  The  background 
was  well  conceived,  in  spite  of  its  details,  which  were  some- 
what too  elaborate.  Diderot,  with  no  thought  of  its  being 
a  sad  omen,  observed  a  "  line  round  the  neck  separating  the 
head  from  the  body." 

Painting,  however,  was  not  the  only  art  to  celebrate  the 
beauty  of  the  mistress  ;  Pajou  exhibited  a  bust  in  terra- 
cotta, the  first  step  towards  the  charming  marble  in  the 
Louvre,  which  was  not  completed  until  1773.  "  In  the  por- 
trait of  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barry,"  wrote  the  Mercure, 
"  a  bust  in  terra-cotta  by  Monsieur  Pajou,  all  may  see  the 
charm  of  beauty,  while  to  the  pupils  of  the  Ecole  des 
Beaux-Arts  it  will  further  recall  the  countenance  of 
their  protector." 2  The  bust  served  as  a  model  for 

1  MSmoires  secrets.  For  this  second  work,  which  is  mentioned  in 
his  account,  the  artist  asked  15,000  livres. 

1  Diderot  does  not  mention  the  bust  in  his  account  of  the  Salon. 
In  spite  of  some  collectors'  belief  to  the  contrary,  Pajou's  terra-cotta 
has  not  yet  been  found. 


no  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

several  copies  which  were  made  in  porcelain  by  the  Sevres 
factory. 

The  Royal  Family  refused  to  make  peace,  for  her  sisters 
and  nephews  all  agreed  with  Madame  Adelaide.  Time, 
perhaps,  would  cool  her  furious  resentment ;  was  she  not 
known  to  have  been  "  consumed  with  hatred  of  Madame  de 
Pompadour,  only  to  throw  herself  finally  into  the  arms  of 
the  latter,  yielding  so  unrestrainedly  that  she  even  went  so 
far  as  to  leave  the  choice  of  a  confessor  in  her  hands." 
The  condition  of  affairs  roused  the  King's  anger,  and  he 
complained  to  his  mistress  and  spoke,  egoist  that  he  was,  of 
the  gentleness  of  the  late  Queen,  who  had  never  opposed 
his  wishes. 

Before  leaving  for  Fontainebleau,  in  the  beginning  of 
October,  1771,  Madame  Du  Barry  made  another  attempt 
to  come  to  terms  with  Mercy.  She  had  an  interview  with 
him  in  which  she  spoke  of  the  difficult  situation  created  by 
the  ill-will  of  the  Dauphine.  Her  attitude  towards  him 
was  that  of  a  trustful  child,  and  she  thus  secured  the  interest 
of  the  Ambassador  whom  a  different  demeanour  would  have 
alienated.  She  confessed  "  that  she  had  thought  it  her 
duty  to  explain  the  state  of  affairs  to  the  King,  whom  she 
had  begged  for  permission  to  avoid  coming  into  the  presence 
of  Mesdames,  whether  at  Versailles  or  during  any  of  the 
shorter  sojourns  at  the  other  palaces  to  which  the  Prin- 
cesses were  allowed  to  accompany  His  Majesty."  The 
King,  embarrassed  as  usual  by  a  direct  question,  had  not 
replied ;  following  the  example  of  his  daughters  when 
making  even  the  smallest  of  requests,  the  mistress  wrote  to 
him  and  was  answered  thus  :  "  You  are  wrong  to  think 
I  love  you  less  because  I  did  not  answer  you ;  I  love  you 
very  much,  as  always."  The  clever  young  woman  gave 
the  Ambassador  these  words  to  read,  and  he  communicated 
them  to  Marie  Antoinette.  The  King  then  went  on  to  com- 
plain of  his  daughters,  whom  he  proposed  to  exclude  from 
the  little  journeys,  only  admitting  the  Dauphine  and  the 
Countess  de  Provence.  This  explains  why  the  Court  went 
straight  to  Fontainebleau  that  year  without  stopping  at 


A   BANQUET   TO   D'AIGUILLON  in 

Choisy  ;  for  in  the  smaller  chateaux,  where  the  size  of  the 
suite  had  to  be  reduced,  frequent  encounters  were  unavoid- 
able, and  friction  was  aggravated. 

Again  the  favourite  gave  herself  up  to  the  theatre  and  the 
chase,  to  all  the  excitements  of  Court  life  ;  and  in  the 
intoxication  of  her  triumphs  she  soon  forgot  her  troubles. 
Monsieur  d'Aiguillon's  nomination  was  celebrated  by  all  the 
ambassadors,  except  those  of  Spain  and  Naples,1  by  dinners 
which  they  gave  in  turn  in  honour  of  the  new  Secretary  of 
State.  On  September  30,  Madame  Du  Barry  invited 
him  to  her  new  villa  at  Louveciennes,  an  architectural  gem 
to  which  Ledoux  had  just  given  the  finishing  touches. 

At  the  request  of  the  minister  his  mother  was  of  the 
company,2  with  Mesdames  de  Mirepoix,  de  Valentinois, 
de  Montmorency  and  de  Choiseul,  the  latter  a  relative  and 
enemy  of  the  disgraced  Duke.  The  other  guests  included 
the  Chancellor,  the  Ministers,  and  nearly  all  the  Diplomatic 
Corps.  At  Chanteloup  the  exiles,  who  kept  themselves  well 
in  touch  with  all  the  happenings  at  Court,  were  filled  with 
indignation  that  the  Dowager  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  should 
have  visited  the  "  Sultana."  The  Duchess  de  Choiseul, 
in  spite  of  her  gentleness,  wrote  to  Madame  Du  Deffand 
as  follows,  for  she  loved  her  fickle  husband :  "  Whatever 
you  say,  my  dear  '  grand-daughter,'  Madame  d'Aiguillon  has 
defiled  herself  by  her  action,  and  has  lowered  my  respect 
for  her ;  neither  powerful  influence  nor  consideration 
should  make  one  excuse  an  infamy." 

The  witty  Marquise  smiled  at  this  letter,  she  who  had  seen 
so  much  during  the  Regency  as  well  as  during  the  present 
reign,  and  could  remember  when  that  very  same  little 
Duchess  had  been  the  inseparable  friend  of  Madame  de 

1  The  new  minister's  enemies  did  not,  however,  fail  to  do  justice 
to  his  qualities.  Caracciolo,  the  Neapolitan  Ambassador,  wrote,  for 
instance,  in  a  confidential  letter  of  September  20  :  "  The  Duke 
d'Aiguillon  is  a  man  of  merit,  clever  and  eminently  capable." 

1 "  The  fat  Duchess  is  dining  at  Luciennes  with  the  Sultana," 
wrote  Madame  Du  Deffand  to  Walpole,  "  the  pasha,  her  son,  has 
demanded  this  condescension  of  her ;  she  refused  for  a  week,  but 
had  to  give  way  or  quarrel  with  him."  This  seems  rather  exag- 
gerated. 


112  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Pompadour.  She  wrote  to  Walpole :  "  Our  allies  [the 
Choiseuls]  are  strangely  scandalised  that  the  fat  Duchess 
d'Aiguillon  should  have  dined  at  Luciennes ;  '  grand- 
mama  '  [Madame  de  Choiseul]  says  she  '  has  denied  herself 
by  her  action.'  The  fear  which  seems  to  me  to  possess  her 
of  being  outdone  in  heat  and  rancour  by  the  powers  (as  I 
call  Mesdames  de  Beauvau  and  de  Grammont)  leads  her  into 
the  most  absurd  and  laughable  exaggerations." 

Madame  Du  Barry  was  the  dispenser  of  honours  as 
well  as  favours.  The  Duke  de  Coss6,  who  was  later  to 
become  so  dear  to  the  Countess,  asked  her  on  behalf  of  his 
wife,  Diane  de  Nivernais,  for  the  post  of  Mistress  of  the 
Robes  to  the  Dauphine,  which  had  become  vacant  on  the 
death  of  the  Duchess  de  Villars  ;  and,  in  spite  of  Marie 
Antoinette's  fear  at  having  a  dependant  of  the  mistress 
about  her  person,  a  fear  that  in  this  case  was  not  justified, 
the  favour  was  granted. 

Another  of  the  favourite's  protege's,  the  Baron  de  Mont- 
morency,  had  applied  to  her  for  help  in  the  delicate  matter 
of  a  difference  with  Madame  Adelaide.  He  was  first 
gentleman-usher  to  the  Princess,  and  on  his  recent  appoint- 
ment as  Lieutenant-General  of  the  Aunis,  she  had  uncere- 
moniously ordered  him  to  leave  her  household.  The  Baron 
excused  himself  on  the  plea  that  only  the  King  could  release 
him  from  the  oath  he  had  taken.  Madame  Adelaide  sent 
for  the  Duke  de  La  Vrilliere  and  enjoined  on  him  to  obtain 
the  dismissal  of  her  gentleman-usher.  But  the  mistress 
intervened,  and  Montmorency  kept  his  place.  "  Madame 
Adelaide,"  wrote  Mercy  to  his  sovereign,  "  has  suffered  the 
mortification  of  being  worsted  in  a  matter  that  had  attracted 
the  attention  of  the  courtiers." 

For  November  9  a  comedy-ballet,  Z entire  et  Azor,  was 
arranged,  the  last  performance  at  Fontainebleau.  The 
play  was  of  particular  interest  to  the  favourite,  for  Gretry 
had  dedicated  it  to  her. 

The  libretto  by  Marmontel  recalled  the  old  story  of  Beauty 
and  the  Beast,  and  the  naive  miracle  wrought  by  love ; 
Azor,  a  young  Persian  Prince  and  King  of  Kamir,  was  given 


THEATRICALS   AT   COURT  113 

unrivalled  beauty  by  his  fairy  godmother,  but  because  he 
boasted  of  this  magnificent  gift  she  deprived  him  of  it. 
He  was  changed  into  a  monster,  but  Zemira,  the  gentle 
daughter  of  a  merchant  of  Ormus,  loved  him  and  broke  the 
charm.  The  play  with  its  magical  Eastern  setting  lent  itself 
to  the  finest  effects,  and  on  the  night  of  the  performance  the 
favourite  in  her  gold-bespangled  brocade  and  starry  diadem 
seemed,  like  the  princess  of  a  fairy-tale,  to  be  part  of  the 
enchanting  story.1 

When  the  Court  returned  to  Versailles,  Madame  de  Valen- 
tinois  gave  an  entertainment  in  honour  of  the  Countess  de 
Provence,  who  was  at  La  Muette  recovering  from  an  attack  of 
smallpox.  Madame  Du  Barry  was  among  the  guests,  and, 
though  the  anecdote  writers  have  denied  it,  she  received 
"  a  most  distinguished  reception  from  the  Countess  de 
Provence  hi  the  inner  apartment  where  the  latter  appeared 
before  showing  herself  to  the  assembled  company."  A 
little  play  was  acted  full  of  praises  of  the  Princess.  The 
Chancellor,  who  was  present,  was  given  his  share  of  the  songs, 
which  were  the  picturesque  and  flattering  work  of  an  Acade- 
mician, the  Abbe  de  Voisenon  ;  the  Sibyl  announced  to  the 
French  the  coming  of  the  golden  age  as  follows  : 

Malgre  Discorde  et  ses  noirs  emissaires, 
De  la  Justice  ardera  le  flambeau  ; 
A  la  Chicane  on  rognera  les  serres, 
Et  Themis  sera  sans  bandeau. 

But  above  all  the  divinity  of  the  hour  was  praised  : 

C'est  la  beaute 
Qui  nous  corrige  et  nous  eclaire, 

C'est  la  beaut6 
Qui  nous  mene  a  la  verite.1 

1  Mademoiselle  de  Lespinasse  wrote  to  Condorcet  on  November 
15  :  "  Azor,  or  Beauty  and  the  Beast,  has  had  the  most  brilliant 
success  of  any  play  seen  at  Court.  The  Count  de  Creutz  says  every- 
one was  intoxicated  with  delight.  He  himself  can  think  of  nothing 
else  and  sings  it  unconsciously."  Charles  Henry,  Lettres  inedites 
de  Mademoiselle  de  Lespinasse,  p.  75. 

1  Mercy,  who  sent  the  text  to  Vienna,  said  that  "  the  two  kick- 
shaws had  shocked  the  public  extremely,  and  displeased  the  Royal 
Family." 


U4  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

The  entertainment  was  the  cause  of  some  excitement. 
The  Duke  d'Orleans,  who  was  the  Abbess  patron,  objected 
to  his  sycophancy  towards  Maupeou.  Voisenon,  in  spite  of 
the  fact  that  he  had  at  first  accepted  the  compliments  of  the 
Court,  put  the  whole  responsibility  for  the  unfortunate  lines 
on  Favart ;  but,  as  the  news-writers  inform  us,  "  the  latter, 
shared  everything  that  he  had  with  the  Abbe,  even  to  his 
wife." 

The  noise  made  by  these  petty  bickerings  was  swallowed 
up  in  the  excitement  of  the  great  news  that  the  King  had 
discharged  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  from  his  post  as  Colonel- 
General  of  the  Swiss  and  Grison  regiments.  This  action, 
which  deprived  him  of  his  remaining  dignities,  was  the 
inevitable  result  of  his  continual  bravado.  The  ostenta- 
tious life  led  by  the  "  allies,"  the  host  of  visitors  who  came 
to  pay  their  court  at  his  magnificant  chateau  and  the  enter- 
tainments and  plays  given  them,  the  songs  and  epigrams 
attacking  His  Majesty  and  the  Barriens,  all  came  to  the 
ears  of  the  monarch,  who  was  much  displeased  with  the 
insolence  displayed  by  his  disgraced  minister. 

The  Abbe  Barthelemy's  letters  to  Madame  Du  Deffand  are 
a  proof  of  the  continual  coming  and  going  of  visitors  at 
Chanteloup.  "  Here  comes  Madame  la  Comtesse  de  Gram- 
mont ;  to-morrow  we  shall  see  Mesdames  de  Chabannes  and 
d'Ossun,  I  believe  ;  then  Monsieur  le  Marquis  and  Madame  la 
Marquise  de  Laval.  Monsieur  le  Baron  and  Madame  la 
Baronne  de  Talleyrand,  Monsieur  de  Schomberg,  and  Mon- 
sieur de  Poix  are  also  here  ;  Mesdames  de  Brionne,  de  Ligne 
and  Mademoiselle  de  Lorraine  are  leaving  on  Sunday, 
I  think;  and  Monsieur  de  Schomberg  in  a  few  days. 
As  you  see,  a  perpetual  ebb  and  flow ;  I  might  imagine 
myself  in  the  harbour  of  a  port  watching  a  crowd 
of  vessels  of  all  nations  continually  come  and  go.  .  .  ." 
The  gentle  Duchess  de  Choiseul  complained  of  all  the 
commotion  to  the  old  Marquise,  but  she  nevertheless  felt 
flattered  and  made  the  indiscreet  agitators  very  welcome. 
It  became  the  fashion  to  pay  one  of  these  visits  ;  "  Madame 
de  Luxembourg,"  wrote  Madame  Du  Deffand,  "  left  last 


CHOISEUL'S   EXILE  115 

Monday  for  Chanteloup,  where  she  will  stay  a  week  ;  nothing 
can  be  more  comical  or  stranger  than  this  visit,  which  she 
must  have  undertaken  for  the  sake  of  recording  it  in  the 
history  of  her  life ;  certainly  she  was  not  inspired  to  make 
it  by  a  feeling  of  friendship." 

TTiose  who  wished  to  go  to  Chanteloup  had  to  ask  per- 
mission of  the  King ;  he  usually  replied :  "  Do  as  you 
please,"  and  they  went.  "  The  Duke's  friends  are  very 
foolish,"  said  Madame  Du  Barry.  Their  imprudence 
sometimes  cost  them  dear ;  the  Prince  de  Beauvau,  for 
instance,  lost  his  position  as  Governor  of  Languedoc  on 
account  of  his  over-zealous  friendship.  "  He  is  profoundly 
miserable,"  wrote  sarcastic  Madame  Du  Deffand,  "  I  think 
him  as  unhappy  as  our  first  father.  Perhaps  he  is  even  more 
miserable  ;  but  most  wonderful  to  relate,  he  does  not  in  the 
least  repent ;  I  vow  he  will  always  eat  every  apple  that  his 
Eve  [Madame  de  Beauvau]  may  offer ;  there  are  moments 
when  this  grieves  me,  but  I  am  immediately  consoled  at  the 
thought  of  their  extreme  satisfaction  with  the  glory  to 
which  they  lay  claim.  They  are  stripped  nearly  bare,  they 
have  no  refuge,  but  they  are  heroes.  Their  creditors  do  not 
share  the  glory ;  every  one  is  mad." 

As  a  result  of  all  these  follies,  Monsieur  de  Choiseul  was 
commanded  to  resign  his  commission  as  Colonel-General  of 
the  Swiss  Guards  to  Monsieur  Du  Chatelet.  The  Duke  had 
not,  indeed,  valued  the  position  very  highly,  and  thought, 
therefore,  to  draw  every  possible  advantage  from  his  resigna- 
tion. In  a  very  respectful  letter  to  the  King  he  begged 
to  be  recalled  from  exile,  asked  for  the  sum  of  three  millions 
to  be  drawn  on  the  Exchequer,  for  a  life  interest  in  the 
forest  of  Hagenau,  and  finally  for  a  pension  for  the  Duchess 
his  wife,  having  spent,  he  said,  the  enormous  fortune 
of  the  Crozats  in  honour  of  the  King  on  his  embassies  and 
during  his  tenure  of  office. 

The  Count  Du  Chatelet,  an  ultimate  friend  of  the  Choiseuls, 
was  to  present  the  letter  to  his  Majesty,  but  Louis  XV. 
objected  to  deal  directly  with  the  matter.  Monsieur 
d'Aiguillon  refused  to  see  the  petitioner,  and,  strange  though 


n6  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

it  seemed,  his  only  hope  lay  in  Madame  Du  Barry.  The 
favourite  granted  the  Count  an  audience,  and  from  the  first 
he  was  astonished  at  her  frankness,  her  goodwill,  her  under- 
standing of  affairs.  Her  kindness  was,  in  fact,  the  subtle 
coquetry  of  a  woman  who  wished  to  revenge  herself  in  the 
most  elegant  way  possible  on  her  implacable  enemy.  When 
Monsieur  Du  Chatelet  pleaded  she  should  give  ear  to  the 
spirit  of  moderation  that  harmonised  so  well  with  grace  and 
beauty,  she  replied  "  that  she  was  by  no  means  bent  on 
injuring  "  the  Duke,  "  that  she  would  indeed  be  chaYmed 
to  see  him  back  again."  She  added  "  that  she  had  in  the 
beginning  done  all  she  could  to  warn  him,"  that  he  ought 
to  have  felt  "  the  impossibility  of  matters  continuing  on 
the  footing  of  recent  times,  not  on  her  account,  but  on  the 
King's,  who  was  perpetually  attacked  on  the  subject  of  his 
affections." 

The  Count  pleaded  the  cause  of  his  friend  to  the  best  of 
his  ability.  "  I  blamed  her  aavisers,"  he  wrote.  "  She 
answered  me  that  we  should  rather  speak  of  yours ;  that 
.  .  .  at  the  time  of  the  interview  she  had  with  you,  she 
told  you  she  had  no  advisers,  and  that,  in  fact,  she  had  at 
that  tune  no  one  of  importance  about  her  other  than  the 
Marshal  de  Richelieu."  And  here  the  flatterer  found 
occasion  to  pay  her  two  adversaries  charming  compliments. 

Monsieur  Du  Chatelet  left  the  favourite,  having  won  from 
her  a  promise  that  she  would  obtain  an  audience  of  His 
Majesty ;  the  Viscount  Du  Barry  would  be  sent  to  inform 
him  of  the  King's  decision.  At  the  first  words  of  the 
Countess  Louis  XV.  was  transported  with  rage,  and  for  two 
hours  and  a  half  she  withstood  the  storm,  justifying  the 
Duke's  demands  point  by  point.  Then  she  had  a  violent 
scene  with  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon.  Failure  now  would  have 
struck  a  blow  at  her  vanity ;  she  received  the  Count  Du 
Chatelet  three  times,  spoke  again  and  again  to  the  King, 
sent  for  the  Minister.  "  He  was  with  the  King  at  Madame 
Du  Barry's.  Those  who  were  there  assert  that  there  is 
some  dispute  between  her  and  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon,  that 
the  King  had  a  very  short  but  lively  conversation  with  him. 


A   GENEROUS   ENEMY  117 

and  that  Madame  Du  Barry  left  in  a  very  bad  temper." 
But  negotiations  progressed,  the  details  were  agreed  to, 
and  finally  on  December  14  the  Count  gave  Monsieur  de 
Choiseul  the  good  news. 

The  exile  sent  in  his  resignation  and  obtained  in  exchange 
the  required  compensation.  Monsieur  Du  Chatelet  had 
only  praise  for  the  young  favourite ;  public  opinion  itself 
had  to  recognise  her  generosity.  The  ballads  of  Versailles 
and  Paris  were  this  time  sung  in  her  honour : 

Ghacun  doutait  en  vous  voyant  si  belle 
Si  vous  etiez  ou  femme  ou  d6ite ; 
Mais,  c'est  trop  sur,  votre  rare  bonte 
N'est  pas  I'effort  d'une  simple  mortelle. 
Quoi  qu'ait  ecrit  jadis,  en  certain  lieu, 
Un  roi  prophdte  en  sa  sainte  demeure, 
Quoi  qu'un  poete  en  ait  dit,  la  vengeance 
N'est  que  d'un  homme,  et  le  pardon  d'un  Dieu. 

Yet  the  Duke  wrote  in  his  memoirs  :  "  Neither  I  nor 
Madame  de  Choiseul  thanked  her  for  it ;  the  injustice,  and 
especially  the  harshness  of  our  treatment  exempted  us  from 
all  gratitude." 


CHAPTER    IV 

THE   ALL-POWERFUL   FAVOURITE 

Projected  Marriage  of  the  King  to  the  Favourite  —  The  Partition  of 
Poland  —  Maria  Theresa's  Fears  —  Reconciliation  of  Marie  Antoin- 
ette and  Madame  du  Barry  —  Gustavus  III.'s  coup  d'&tat  —  Mar- 
riages of  the  Viscount  and  the  Chevalier  Du  Barry  —  The  Salon 
of  1773  —  Marriage  of  the  Count  d'Artois  —  Final  Intrigues  — 
Illness  and  Death  of  Louis  XV. 


"  flT^HE  Countess  Du  Barry's  ascendancy  over  the  King 

wellnigh  knows  no  bounds,"   wrote  Mercy  to 

•         Maria  Theresa  in  December,  1771  ;    and,  as  a 

matter  of  fact,  all  Europe  was  beginning  to  take 

the  favourite's  power  into  account.     The  Cabinet  of  Vienna 

treated  her  with  caution  ;  the  Kings  of  England  and  Prussia 

made  advances  to  her,  and  Gustavus  III.  relied  on  her  for 

protection  in  his  difficulties.    Nor  were  these  proud  triumphs 

all  ;     she  won  gentler  victories  as  well,  for  the  Dauphine 

deigned  to  speak  to  her  at  her  visit  on  New  Year's  Day. 

Since  the  marriage  of  the  Count  de  Provence,  Marie 
Antoinette  had  occupied  the  Queen's  rooms  at  Versailles, 
and  she  gave  her  audiences  in  the  vast  bedchamber  with 
its  canopied  bed  behind  the  gilded  railing.  Thither  came 
Madame  Du  Barry  on  January  i,  1772,  accompanied  by 
Madame  de  Mirepoix  and  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon.  After 
the  customary  curtseys  the  Dauphine  looked  towards  the 
favourite  and  said  politely  :  "  There  are  many  people  at 
Versailles  to-day,"  l  after  which  the  King's  circle  of  friends 
could  talk  of  nothing  but  the  spirit  of  the  lovable  young 
Princess.  But  though  the  dominant  party  rejoiced,  the 

1  In  his  report  of  January  23,  1772,  Mercy  relates  how  on  New 
Year's  Eve  he  had  used  every  possible  argument  to  induce  the 
Dauphine  to  be  kind  to  the  favourite  next  day.  "  I  obtained  a 
promise,  not  without  much  difficulty.  The  chief  point  was  that 
Mesdames  were  not  consulted,  and  the  outcome  was  most  fortunate.'* 

118 


MARIE   ANTOINETTE 


I 


A    DUTIFUL   DAUGHTER  119 

little  Archduchess  had  to  pay  dearly  for  her  courage  ; 
Mesdames,  her  aunts,  were  furious,  and  the  Countess  de 
Narbonne  went  so  far  as  to  speak  of  her  treachery.  Though 
thus  deserted  she  yet  wrote  to  the  Empress  : 

My  dearest  mother, — I  have  no  doubt  that  Mercy  has 
informed  you  of  my  conduct  on  New  Year's  Day,  and  I 
hope  that  you  were  satisfied.  You  may  be  sure  that  I  shall 
always  sacrifice  my  every  prejudice  and  aversion  as  long  as 
I  am  asked  to  do  nothing  contrary  to  the  principles  of 
decency  and  honour.  A  breach  between  my  two  families 
would  be  the  misfortune  of  my  life  ;  my  heart  would  always 
be  on  the  side  of  my  own,  and  my  duties  here  would  be  very 
difficult  to  carry  out.  I  tremble  at  the  idea  of  such  a  thing, 
and  trust  that  it  may  never  happen,  that  at  least  I  may 
not  be  the  cause.  .  .  . 

The  unfortunate,  rather  than  insulting,  expression,  "  con- 
trary to  the  principles  of  honour  "  drew  on  her  an  exasper- 
ated reply  from  her  august  parent.  "  I  have  been  very 
mistaken,"  wrote  the  Dauphine  again,  "  in  what  I  told  you 
of  the  Count  de  Provence  ;  he  has  much  disgraced  himself 
in  the  Madame  de  Brancas  affair.  His  wife  follows  his 
example  in  everything,  but  only  through  fear  and  stupidity, 
for  I  believe  her  to  be  extremely  unhappy."  Marie 
Antoinette's  brother-in-law  was,  in  fact,  playing  a  double 
game,  and  while  keeping  in  with  the  opposite  party  his 
ambition  led  him  to  serve  the  interests  of  the  Barriens. 
The  Madame  de  Brancas  referred  to  had  recently  been  dis- 
missed from  the  household  of  the  Countess  de  Provence 
on  account  of  an  impertinence  towards  the  favourite. 
Apparently,  the  idol  was  henceforth  to  be  unassailable. 

Mercy  hastened  to  reap  advantage  from  the  gratitude  of 
Madame  Du  Barry,  who  was  enchanted  with  the  favour 
won  from  the  Princess.  He  became  a  frequent  visitor  at 
the  Petits  Cabinets,  and  the  gift  of  a  valuable  box  from 
Kaunitz,  which  he  showed  the  King,  provided  him  with  an 
opportunity  of  singing  the  praises  of  his  chief  to  the  mistress. 
He  wrote  to  the  Minister :  "I  am  in  high  favour  with 
Madame  Du  Barry ;  she  is  beginning  to  listen  to  me,  and 


120  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

has  not  at  all  exposed  me  on  the  subject  of  certain  minor 
political  proposals  which  I  have  ventured  to  put  forward 
with  every  precaution,  solely  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  how 
the  land  lay.  I  hope  to  make  use  of  this  woman,  if  only 
Madame  la  Dauphine  will  be  good  enough  not  to  frustrate 
my  schemes  by  any  inconsiderate  action." 

The  Ambassadors  were  right  to  deal  cautiously  with 
the  Countess,  who  was  now  all-powerful  at  the  Court  of 
France.  She  was  the  chief  supporter  in  the  Versailles 
Cabinet  of  the  threatened  interests  of  Gustavus  III.  "  In 
this  terrible  position,"  wrote  Monsieur  de  Creutz  to  his 
sovereign,  "  I  propose  the  following  course  of  action  to 
Your  Majesty  .  .  .  ist,  to  write  a  most  moving  letter 
to  the  King,  a  very  flattering  one  to  Madame  Du  Barry, 
and  one  full  of  trust  and  friendship  to  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon. 
This  is  of  the  greatest  importance."  The  letters  were 
written  and  worked  wonders.  Creutz  joyfully  wrote  to 
Gustavus  that  "  the  lady  who  enjoyed  the  confidence  of 
the  King  "  took  the  most  lively  interest  in  Swedish  affairs. 
"  She  is  always  speaking  of  them  to  me,"  he  added,  "  and  has 
bidden  me  deliver  her  good  wishes  to  Your  Majesty." 

Madame  Du  Barry  was  not  satisfied  with  only  assuring 
the  Swedish  Ambassador  of  her  goodwill  towards  the  young 
King.  She  acted,  and  informed  Count  Scheffer  of  her  actions, 
having  become  acquainted  with  him  at  the  time  of  Gus- 
tavus' stay  in  Paris,  when  she  had  also  invited  him  to  supper 
together  with  the  Prince. 

I  should  have  written  to  you  yesterday,  Monsieur  le 
Comte,  as  I  promised,  had  not  the  King's  day  been  so  fully 
occupied  that  he  could  not  possibly  find  time  to  reply  to 
His  Swedish  Majesty.  Pray  believe,  Monsieur,  that  I  am 
giving  my  ceaseless  attention  to  all  that  may  interest  your 
master  ;  I  have  been  most  moved  at  hearing  of  his  trouble, 
and  I  beg  of  you  to  assure  him  of  my  sympathy.  I  hope 
to-morrow  the  King  will  give  a  reply  that  will  satisfy  all 
the  wishes  of  the  King  of  Sweden.  I  am,  Monsieur, 

Your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

La  Comtesse  Du  Barry. 


A    FRACTIOUS   PATIENT  121 

In  supporting  the  Swedish  King,  the  Countess  fell  in  with 
Louis'  secret  wish ;  in  spite  of  all,  he  attached  importance 
to  the  old  European  balance  of  power  which  Catherine  and 
Frederick  sought  to  destroy  in  furthering  their  own  ends. 
He  was  pleased  that  Gustavus  should  master  his  government, 
because  he  wished  to  see  him  triumph  over  his  watchful 
enemies ;  and  to  save  him  from  the  hornet's  nest,  Louis 
allowed  him  to  draw  on  the  French  Treasury.  But  when 
once  the  Cabinet  at  Versailles  had  yielded  to  Madame  Du 
Barry's  importunities,  the  young  King  had  to  be  asked  to 
hasten  the  operations  which  were  to  foil  the  covetousness 
of  the  Northern  League. 

While  the  King  of  Sweden  was  thus  contending  with  his 
ambitious  nobility,  Versailles  gave  itself  up  to  all  the  joys 
of  the  Carnival.  The  favourite  queened  it  everywhere,  and 
overtaxed  her  powers  to  such  an  extent  that  she  was  forced 
to  take  to  her  bed.  Madame  de  Choiseul  wrote  to  Madame 
Du  Deffand  that  the  mistress  was  feared  to  be  suffering  from 
an  attack  of  measles,  and  the  latter  informed  Walpole  on 
February  17,  1772,  that  the  Countess  was  afflicted  with  a 
terrible  cold.  Everyone  took  the  greatest  interest  in  her 
ladyship's  precious  health,  and  the  gazetteers  embellished 
their  anecdotes  with  their  usual  felicity.  The  story  went 
that  the  physicians  had  decided  "  the  invalid  should  be 
bled.  The  latter  showed  much  reluctance  in  submitting  to 
then*  decision,  and  treated  them  to  all  the  grimaces  in  which 
pretty  women  indulge.  His  Majesty,  who  was  present  at 
the  discussion,  pressed  her  to  give  way  to  necessity,  and, 
as  she  still  objected,  he  slapped  her  lightly."  1 

The  Countess  allowed  herself  to  be  tended,  glad  of  the  en- 
forced rest  which  for  a  moment  interrupted  the  feverish 
course  of  her  career.  Louis  scarcely  ever  left  her,  and 
rejoiced  in  the  charm  of  increased  intimacy  with  his  sweet 
and  loving  friend.  In  her  floating  white  gown,  trimmed 
with  silver  lace  "  and  little  knots  of  flowers,"  with  her  bare 
feet  stuck  in  satin  slippers  and  her  long  hair  framing 

*  "  The  quarrel  only  proves  the  strength  of  his  passion  for  her," 
adds  the  writer  of  the  A  necdotes. 


122  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

her  pale  face,  she  was  more  beautiful  than  ever.  One  of 
her  women  read  aloud  to  her,  probably  from  one  of  the 
numerous  histories  which  La  Beaumelle  had  just  bought 
her.  Among  them  were  such  books  as  the  Memoirs  of 
Brantome,  Bassompierre  or  Retz,  diaries  of  the  reigns  of 
Henri  III.  and  Henri  IV.,  and  chronicles  for  the  years  1768 
and  1769,  all  of  which  dealt  with  subjects  of  general  interest 
at  a  time  when  Madame  de  Mesmes  could  write  :  "  The 
Chancellor  has  for  six  months  been  making  certain  people 
learn  the  history  of  France,  who  might  perhaps  have  died 
without  knowing  it." 

But  the  favourite's  library  did  not  consist  exclusively  of 
such  books  as  the  "  Meditations  "  of  Marcus  Aurelius  or  the 
"  Enchiridion  "  of  Epictetus.  There  were  also  the  extrava- 
gant Crebillon's  "  Le  Sopha,  La  Nuit  et  le  Moment," 
and  the  courteous  Dorat's  "  Baisers,"  which  the  Viscount 
Adolphe  read  to  her.  Mademoiselle  Chon  used  to  play  her 
favourite  pieces  on  the  harpsichord,  or  Madame  de  Mire- 
poix,  who,  according  to  Madame  Du  Deffand,  recited  so 
well,  declaimed  scenes  from  Racine  and  Moli£re.  In  the 
meantime,  the  favourite's  pretty  fingers  would  be  busied 
with  thread-picking.  "  You  must  know  that  thread-picking 
is  now  most  fashionable,"  wrote  Madame  Du  Deffand  to 
Walpole.  "  The  presents  one  makes  are  all  of  gold  thread 
twisted  into  every  kind  of  shape  :  hats,  wigs,  fruit,  mouse- 
traps, dogs,  cats,  birds.  It  is  all  the  rage  now,  and  gives 
plenty  of  scope  for  displaying  ostentation  and  magnificence, 
since  it  deprives  of  all  value  what  once  cost  us  so  dear." 

Madame  Du  Barry  soon  recovered,  but  the  King's  health 
was  a  cause  for  anxiety  throughout  the  winter.  As  a  rule 
illness  drove  him  to  seek  the  consolations  of  religion,  and  the 
question  was  discussed  whether  he  intended  to  sacrifice  his 
mistress  so  that  he  might  go  to  confession  and  receive  the 
sacraments.  He  had  already  done  such  a  thing  once  before, 
at  Metz,  when  he  dismissed  the  Duchess  de  Chateauroux, 
and  Madame  de  Pompadour  had  often  feared  similar  treat- 
ment. Only  marriage  could  reconcile  the  King's  weakness 
with  his  orthodoxy.  The  favourite  was  quite  prepared  to 


MISTRESS   OR   WIFE  123 

play  the  part  of  a  Maintenon,  and  Louis  XV.,  whatever  he 
may  have  said  to  the  contrary,  would  then  have  followed 
in  the  footsteps  of  Louis  XIV.  The  difficulty  lay  rather 
in  obtaining  the  Pope's  consent  to  the  separation  of  Guil- 
laume  Du  Barry  and  his  wife. 

Madame  Louise,  the  Carmelite,  took  up  the  matter,  for 
nothing  had  grieved  her  more  than  her  father's  latest  amour, 
and  she  hoped  that  by  legalising  the  union  he  would  be 
restored  to  the  arms  of  the  Church.  Others  were  found  to 
support  the  proposal,  especially  Messieurs  d'Aiguillon  and 
de  Maupeou.  The  Minister  and  the  Chancellor  had  for  some 
time  scarcely  been  in  agreement ;  the  Duke,  as  the  recog- 
nised protege  of  her  ladyship,  seemed  the  stronger ;  the 
Chancellor,  on  the  other  hand,  was  upheld  by  the  clerical 
party,  and  still  showed  a  brave  front  to  the  world.  But  in 
spite  of  their  conflicting  ambitions,  both  men  bent  their 
wits  to  the  task  of  annulling  the  marriage  of  the  Countess. 
The  report  of  the  impending  petition  to  the  Pope  reached 
Vienna,  and  Mercy  was  interrogated  at  Maria  Theresa's 
command.  "  The  King  and  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  are  said 
to  have  frequent  interviews  with  Madame  Louise,  the  Car- 
melite, who  is  understood  to  be  working  strenuously  for 
the  consent  of  the  Pope  to  the  dissolution  of  Madame  Du 
Barry's  marriage,  that  the  latter  may  be  in  a  position  to 
marry  the  King.  The  success  of  the  negotiations  is  a  matter 
of  indifference  to  Her  Majesty.  She  even  knows  such  an 
event  to  be  the  only  means  of  setting  the  King's  conscience 
at  rest.  She  wishes  to  know,  however,  if  there  is  any 
foundation  for  the  rumour." 

The  Ambassador  replied  to  the  Empress  :  "  The  Chan- 
cellor, with  the  help  of  the  Archbishop  of  Paris,  has  succeeded 
in  embroiling  Madame  Louise  in  intrigues  of  whose  object 
she  has  no  suspicion."  But  the  negotiations  were  long- 
drawn  and  difficult,  and  in  view  of  the  rigorous  laws  of  the 
Church,  had  no  serious  prospect  of  succeeding.  The  Abbe 
Terray  was  pleased  to  prolong  them  ;  "  he  believed  no  more 
than  others  in  the  possibility  of  arriving  at  the  desired  end, 
but  he  could  at  least  inspire  the  favourite  with  false  hopes 


124  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

for  some  months,"  which  was  all  the  cunning  courtier  desired.1 
The  question  was  soon  discussed  on  wider  grounds,  and  a 
famous  memorandum,  by  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon's  lawyer, 
Linguet,  set  a  current  of  public  opinion  in  favour  of  a  divorce 
law,  which  was  destined  to  be  established  twenty  years 
later  by  the  Revolution.2 

The  proposed  marriage  did  not  fail  to  give  rise  to  male- 
volent rumours  that  resort  had  been  had  to  prompt  and 
efficacious  methods  of  getting  rid  of  the  favourite's  hus- 
band. He  was  said  to  be  dying  of  a  languishing  disease,  and 
base  insinuations  were  made  as  to  its  cause.  All  these 
calumnies  were  refuted  by  the  appearance  of  the  "  big,  fat  " 
Count  Guillaume  in  Paris.  He  took  a  house  and  gave  several 
entertainments,  which  were  much  talked  about.  His  wife 
provided  part  of  the  means  for  defraying  his  extravagant 
expenses,  but  for  some  time  she  had  complained  of  his 
excessive  demands.  Guillaume  only  met  her  refusals  with 
insults  and  threats.  Madame  Du  Barry  and  her  husband 
had  from  the  first  enjoyed  complete  independence  of 
property,  and  now  she  demanded  separation  of  person  and 
domicile.  She  won  her  desire  on  April  2,  1772,  by  sentence 
of  the  Chatelet,  which  was  later  confirmed  by  a  decree  of 
the  Parliament.  Heavy  compensation  was  granted  to  the 
Count,  who  acquiesced  in  the  decision  of  the  law  courts 
without  making  further  difficulties. 

The  favourite  had  at  this  time  recourse  to  the  law  in 
another  matter  that  was  as  close  to  her  heart  as  her  own 
affair.  A  nephew  of  Billard-Dumouceaux,  the  naval  con- 
tractor who  had  brought  Anne  Becu  and  her  little  daughter 
to  Paris,  had  recently  been  imprisoned  for  a  bankruptcy 
involving  the  sum  of  five  million  livres.  His  case  was  serious 
and  might  bring  him  to  the  galleys.  But  he  had  a  powerful 
protector,  who  tried  by  all  possible  means  to  obtain  a  full 

1  He  was  soon  to  undertake  "  imperceptibly  to  destroy  her 
chimerical  hopes  of  playing  the  part  of  a  Maintenon  or  of  being 
Queen  of  France."  (M&moires  de  VAUbi  Terray,  Vol.  ».,  p.  157.) 

*  The  fictitious  memorandum  is  addressed  to  the  Pope,  and 
attempts  to  reduce  indissolubility  of  marriage  to  a  matter  of  dis- 
cipline, which  might  be  modified  by  the  Church. 


A   FRUITLESS   INTERVENTION          125 

pardon  for  him ;  all  she  succeeded  in  doing,  however,  was 
to  reduce  his  sentence.  She  besought  Maupeou  in  vain ; 
for  the  first  time  he  avoided  carrying  out  her  wishes.  He 
gave  Louis  XV.  to  understand  that  Madame  Du  Barry's 
goodness  of  heart  was  in  this  case  opposed  to  the  principles 
of  justice  ;  the  forger  was  not  worthy  of  a  clemency  which 
would  stir  up  the  feelings  of  the  people.  The  Chancellor's 
words  were  heeded.  Madame  Du  Deffand  wrote  of  the 
culprit :  "  He  stood  in  the  pillory  at  La  Greve  for  two  hours 
under  the  inscription :  Fraudulent  bankrupt,  unfaithful 
steward.  He  wore  silk  stockings  and  a  black  suit ;  his  hair 
was  well  dressed  and  powdered ;  he  wanted  to  embrace 
the  executioner  who  fetched  him  from  prison,  called  him 
brother,  thanked  him  for  opening  the  gates  of  heaven, 
praised  God  for  the  disgrace,  and  recited  psalms  all  the  time 
he  was  in  the  pillory." 

That  day,  too,  the  young  Countess  had  to  be  as  gay  as 
usual  and  appear  unmoved,  showing  nothing  of  her  grief ; 
but  on  the  following  day  she  went  to  her  mother  to  weep 
and  lament.  She  could  come  whenever  she  chose  to  the 
Convent  of  Sainte-Elisabeth,  where  Madame  Rangon  de 
Montrabe  lived.  The  community  was  in  the  exceptional 
position  of  being  directly  responsible  to  Rome,  and  Rome 
had  authorised  these  visits  at  the  special  request  of  Louis  XV. 
to  the  Mother  Superior.  Every  fortnight  the  beautiful 
lady  of  the  Court  was  made  very  welcome,  as  may  be  ima- 
gined ;  the  Abbess  even  sent  her  niece,  "  who  sang  very 
well,  to  amuse  the  Countess  during  dinner."  1 

Though  Maupeou  dared  directly  to  thwart  the  wishes  of 
the  favourite,  he  must  not  be  supposed  to  have  done  so 
from  excessively  honest  motives.  He  feared  that  to  yield 
to  her  desire  would  rouse  public  opinion  against  him  once 
more.  People  were  becoming  accustomed  to  the  new  Parlia- 
ment, but  their  hatred  of  the  Chancellor  was  by  no  means 

1  Madame  Ranfon's  niece,  Betzy,  nicknamed  Pierrot  for  her 
mischievousness,  was  at  that  time  living  with  her  aunt  at  the  con- 
vent, and  evil  tongues  spread  the  report  that  she  was  the  favourite's 
daughter.  Drouais  had  just  painted  her  picture  on  one  of  the  frieze 
panels  over  a  door  at  Louveciennes. 


126  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

diminished.  "  Assertions  are  made,"  so  wrote  the  gazetteers, 
"  based  on  his  constant  disputes  with  Madame  Du  Barry  and 
the  other  ministers  of  the  House  of  Bourbon,  so  that  every- 
where hopes  are  reviving  wonderfully,  and  the  following 
song  has  been  written  as  a  first  instalment  of  what  he  may 

expect : 

Par  ma  foi,  Ren6  de  Maupeou, 
Vous  devriez  bien  dtre  saoul, 

Lon  Ian  la  derirette, 
De  tous  les  pamphlets  d'aujourd'hui, 

Lon  Ian  la  deriri. 
Votre  credit  baisse,  dit-on, 
Chacun  vous  tire  au  court  Mton,  Lon.     .     . 
L'abbe  Terray,  le  d'Aiguillon. 
Meditent  quelque  trahison,  Lon.     .     . 
Mais  votre  plus  affreux  malheur 
C'est  de  n'etre  plus  en  faveur. 

Lon  Ian  la  derirette, 
Avec  Mesdames  Du  Barry, 

Lon  Ian  la  deriri." 

Libels  rained  on  Maupeou  from  every  side,  each  one  more 
defamatory  than  its  predecessor.  But  Voltaire  continued  to 
defend  him  in  verse  and  prose  and  praised  his  hero,  who  had 
saved  the  Crown  and  rescued  it  from  "  the  labyrinth  of 
laws,"  an  exploit  worthy  to  be  sung  by  Homer. 

The  Choiseuls  with  malicious  irony  made  a  weathercock 
of  gold  thread  as  a  symbol  of  the  great  man's  sentiments ; 
but  the  philosopher  was  not  so  changeable  as  they  thought, 
and  his  eulogies  were  sincere,  particularly  on  this  occasion. 
To  him  Maupeou' s  intelligent  reforms  had  the  one  desirable 
result  of  overthrowing  the  power  of  the  magistrates  whose 
abuse  had  filled  him  with  so  much  indignation.  Certain 
prudent  spirits  drew  a  lesson  from  the  Chancellor's  energetic 
measures ;  the  ease  with  which  an  ancient  institution  had 
been  broken  down  inspired  another  representative  of  autho- 
rity, the  Abbe  Terray,  to  deal  no  less  a  blow  at  the  adminis- 
tration by  an  attack  on  privilege,  that  had  ever  been  the 
enemy  of  the  Treasury.  The  Minister  of  Finance  had  come 
to  the  end  of  his  resources,  and  in  consequence  he  suspended 
the  payment  of  orders  on  certain  funds,  diminished  life 
annuities  and  delayed  the  payment  of  the  vingtieme,  and 


THE    FAVOURITE'S    FINANCES  127 

though  he  may  have  increased  the  duties  on  bread,  salt  and 
certain  other  commodities,  he  also  introduced  a  tax  on  newly 
created  nobles.  The  Princes  of  the  Blood  had  to  sell  their 
horses  and  limit  their  households.  A  furious  outcry  was 
raised,  and  thus  began  the  struggle  between  the  Court  and 
the  town  of  Paris. 

Madame  Du  Barry  alone  had  nothing  to  fear  from  these 
attacks  on  wealth.  The  replenished  Royal  Treasury  was 
open  to  satisfy  her  every  whim.  Terray  was  asserted  to  be 
"  so  obsequious  and  devoted  in  carrying  out  her  wishes  that 
he  treated  her  drafts  on  the  Exchequer  as  if  they  were  the 
King's.  .  .  ."  Roettiers  de  la  Tour,  goldsmith  to  the 
King,  had  at  this  time  just  completed  for  her  a  hammered 
service  with  a  design  of  roses  and  myrtle.  But  she  desired, 
above  all,  the  luxury  of  owning  a  toilet  service  entirely  of 
gold.  Crowds  went  to  the  artist  to  admire  the  first  article 
he  completed,  a  mirror  surmounted  by  two  Cupids  holding 
a  coronet.  Nor  did  they  come  only  to  admire  ;  they  also 
made  malicious  calculations  of  its  cost,  and  Roettiers  had 
finally  to  give  up  the  work  "  on  account  of  the  scandal."'1 

At  Versailles  trouble  was  brewing  among  the  favourite's 
circle  of  friends  :  "  They  live  like  cat  and  dog  ''  said  Madame 
Du  Deffand.  The  Duchess  de  Mazarin,  a  beautiful  woman, 
whom  tiny  Madame  de  Choiseul  asserted  to  weigh  "  between 
three  and  four  hundred,"  had  deserted  the  party  of  "  dis- 
senters "  for  the  Barriens,  but  the  jealous  Princess  de  Mont- 
morency  declared  that  she  would  withdraw  if  the  lady  were 
really  permitted  to  join  them.  On  April  3,  the  favourite 
brought  the  newcomer  to  Choisy,  where  they  spent  two  days 
with  His  Majesty  ;  the  company  included  some  privileged 
noblemen,  Madame  de  Mirepoix  and  Madame  de  1'Hopital. 
During  their  visit  the  celebrated  Audinot,  manager  of  one 

1  "  To  Roettiers  de  la  Tour,  as  an  indemnity  for  an  incomplete 
toilet  service  ....  1,800  livres."  The  interesting  bills  of  the 
Roettiers,  father  and  son,  for  the  articles  ordered  of  them  by  Madame 
Du  Barry  since  1769  have  been  preserved  among  her  accounts  in  the 
Bibliotheque  nationals.  The  perfection  of  their  work  may  be  judged 
from  the  wealth  of  detail  they  give  ;  the  knob  of  her  running  foot- 
man's cane  cost  546  livres,  9  sols. 


128  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

of  the  amusements  at  the  fair  of  Saint-Germain,  appeared 
for  the  first  time  before  the  Court.  He  brought  a  troupe  of 
children  trained  to  act  some  rather  daring  plays,  which  were 
the  rage  in  Paris.  The  first  was  a  comedy  by  Nogaret,  //  n'y 
a  plus  d' en f ants,  and  they  finished  with  a  pantomime- 
ballet  of  Puss-in-Boots.  The  entertainment  was  devised 
by  the  Countess,  and  scandalised  the  public ;  1  she  herself 
enjoyed  it  very  much,  and  even  the  King  was  seen  to  "  smile 
occasionally." 

On  their  return  the  Countess  took  advantage  of  her  sover- 
eign's amiable  frame  of  mind  to  make  him  accept  the  ser- 
vices of  her  nephew  Adolphe  as  his  chief  Equerry.  "  The 
Viscount  Du  Barry  will  get  the  post  of  Chief  Equerry  to 
the  King,"  wrote  Madame  Du  Deffand.  "  He  is  supposed 
to  have  had  the  commission  for  a  fortnight.  De  Coigny  and 
de  Polignac,  who  had  hoped  for  the  appointment,  will 
instead  be  given  the  posts  of  First  Lord-in- Waiting  and 
Chief  Equerry,  respectively,  to  the  Count  d'Artois ;  Mon- 
sieur de  Beauvau  will  also  receive  some  compensation." 
Whatever  the  merits  of  the  young  man,  it  was  a  triumph 
for  the  Du  Barry  household. 

Nor  were  the  great  lords  and  ladies  who  sought  the  aid 
of  the  favourite  ever  turned  away  ;  she  rendered  innumerable 
services,  and  was  continually  being  asked  to  exert  her 
influence  over  the  King  in  all  kinds  of  difficulties.  To  her 
inexhaustible  courtesy,  belles-lettres  owed  many  a  favour. 
The  Academy  had,  on  May  7,  elected  the  Abbe  Delille  and 
Suard  from  among  nineteen  candidates  to  the  vacancies 
created  by  the  deaths  of  Bignon  and  Duclos.  Two  days 
later,  "  when  the  Academy  was  on  the  point  of  breaking  up, 
a  letter  from  the  Duke  de  La  Vrilliere  arrived,  announcing 
not  only  that  the  King  declined  to  confirm  the  two  elec- 
tions of  Thursday,  but  also  that  he  disallowed  them  alto- 
gether, as,  contrary  to  the  statutes,  they  had  been  made  at 
a  single  sitting.  Some  say  the  letter  added  that  he  dis- 
approved of  the  persons  elected  .  .  .  ."  The  fact  was 

1  Yet  young  girls  were  taken  to  these  plays.  Cf.  Lucie  Achard, 
Rosalie  de  Constant,  p.  44. 


AN    ELECTION   TO   THE   ACADEMY          129 

that  the  Abbe  Delille  and  Suard  were  intimate  with  the 
Encyclopaedists,  to  whom  His  Majesty  strongly  objected. 
The  election  had  to  be  repeated,  and  great  excitement  pre- 
vailed among  the  immortals.  On  the  same  evening  the 
Prince  de  Beauvau,  who  upheld  the  claims  of  Suard,  wrote 
to  the  Abbe  Arnaud  :  "I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
your  friendship  with  Madame  Du  Barry  makes  you  the 
most  suitable  person  to  speak  to  her.  You  must  do  so 
to-morrow,  as  early  as  possible,  because  the  King  is  leaving 
at  about  half-past  eleven  o'clock  for  Saint-Hubert,  and  no 
time  must  be  lost  in  obtaining  a  favourable  reply,  if  it  can 
be  done,  before  the  Academy  assembles.  .  .  ."  1 

The  King  refused  to  listen,  and  in  vain  Monsieur  de 
Beauvau  ventured  to  demonstrate  to  His  Majesty  the  wrong 
done  to  the  liberties  of  the  Academy  by  this  exclusion. 
"  Fearing  to  witness  the  dissolution  of  their  society,"  the 
Academicians  arranged  for  the  new  elections  to  take  place 
on  the  following  Saturday.  As  soon  as  the  sitting  began, 
they  attacked  Richelieu,  who  presided  as  Director.  "  He 
was  told  that  he  might  have  informed  the  Academy  of  His 
Majesty's  wishes."  They  were  given  the  bantering  reply : 
"I,  Messieurs  ?  The  King  speaks  to  me  ;  I  do  not  speak 
to  the  King.  I  cannot  question  His  Majesty  as  to  his  pre- 
ferences. Ask  the  Sieur  Nestier,  who  has  supplied  some- 
thing like  twenty  thousand  horses  to  the  King.  We  have 
yet  to  find  the  man  who  has  pleased  him  more."  The  peace- 
loving  favourite  alone  promised  to  take  up  the  cause  of  the 
ill-used  candidates.  Confidence  was  restored,  for  she  had 
already  been  the  means  of  giving  Marmontel  his  appoint- 
ment as  Royal  Historiographer,  and  had  brought  the  King 
to  approve  of  D'Alembert  as  permanent  secretary  to  the 
Academy.  Ten  months  later  the  King  assured  the  society, 
through  the  Duke  de  Nivernais,  that  he  no  longer  opposed 
the  election  of  Suard  and  the  Abbe  Delille. 

The  philosophers  could  thus  count  on  the  occasional 

1  Madame  Du  Deffand  speaks  of  the  part  played  by  Monsieur  de 
Beauvau,  in  ignorance  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  intervention.  The 
Abbe  Arnaud,  an  old  friend  of  the  Countess,  had  been  elected  to  the 
Academy  in  1771. 


130  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

patronage  of  the  favourite,  who,  indeed,  liked  them  little 
enough,  and  they  needed  it  all  the  more  that  they  had  just 
lost  the  support  at  Court  of  another  great  lady.  The 
dowager  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  died  suddenly  in  June,  on 
leaving  her  bath.  "  She  was  a  talented  woman,"  wrote  one 
of  the  gazetteers,  "  well-informed,  and  much  attracted  by 
modern  philosophy,  that  is  to  say,  by  atheism  and  material- 
ism." But  Madame  Du  Deffand  compared  the  fat  Duchess 
"  to  a  statue  that,  meant  for  the  vaulted  arch  of  a  church, 
seemed  monstrous  when  seen  in  the  porch."  Madame  Du 
Barry  wept  the  loss  of  her  friend,  whom  she  had  loved 
because  of  the  gratitude  she  had  shown  for  the  services  the 
Countess  rendered  her  son.  The  coffin  was  carried  to  the 
Sorbonne  and  placed  in  the  tomb  of  the  Richelieus.  Un- 
doubtedly the  "  two  urns  of  a  beautiful  blue,"  which  the 
favourite  ordered  from  Sevres,  were  intended  for  the  grave 
of  the  Duchess. 

While  still  under  the  impressive  influence  of  her  friend's 
death,  Madame  Du  Barry  determined  to  make  a  Christian 
of  Zamore,  the  Indian  slave  whom  she  indulged  so  fondly, 
and  whom  she  would  thus  also  set  free.  She  herself  was  his 
godmother,  and  she  made  a  Prince  of  the  Blood  stand  god- 
father, the  Count  de  la  Marche,  son  of  the  Prince  de  Conti. 
The  catechumen  wore  at  his  baptism  a  ravishing  hussar 
uniform,  described  by  the  tailor  Carlier  in  his  accounts  as 
follows  : — "  A  white  silver-laced  costume  :  coat,  breeches 
and  buskins  of  paduasoy  :  buttons,  girdle  and  sword  of 
silver,  plumed  cap  with  a  tuft  of  jasmine."  In  the  register 
of  baptisms  in  the  parish  of  Notre-Dame  we  may  read  : 

In  the  year  seventeen  hundred  and  seventy-two,  on  July  4, 
Louis-Benoist  Zamore,  negro  servant  of  Madame  la  Com- 
tesse  Du  Barry,  about  ten  years  of  age,  was  baptised  by  the 
undersigned.  .  .  .  The  godfather  was  the  Most  High 
and  Mighty  Prince,  Monseigneur  Louis-Francis- Joseph  de 
Bourbon,  Comte  de  la  Marche,  represented  by  Dominique- 
Benigne  Bellot  his  doorkeeper  ;  The  godmother,  High  and 
Mighty  Dame-Benedicte  de  Vaubergny  (siq),  Comtesse  Du 
Barry,  represented  by  Felicite  Cuignet,  her  chief  waiting- 
woman. 


THE   POLISH   TRAGEDY  131 

The  following  month  witnessed  the  tragic  development 
of  Polish  affairs,  which  were  of  such  deep  interest  to  France. 
The  name  of  Madame  Du  Barry  has  been  mixed  up  in  them, 
though  without  foundation.  She  did  no  more  than  follow 
the  course  of  events  with  concern  ;  once  only  she  interceded 
with  Louis  XV.  on  behalf  of  the  Confederation  of  Bar,  who 
had  been  placed  at  the  mercy  of  three  ambitious  sovereigns 
by  the  unfortunate,  but  inevitable,  withdrawal  of  French 
support. 

When  d'Aiguillon  rose  to  power  he  knew  nothing  of  the 
inner  meaning  of  the  European  situation,  or  of  the  pro- 
posals for  partition  upon  which  Frederick  had  already 
resolved.  On  learning  of  the  danger  that  the  traditional 
allies  of  France  ran  hi  the  East,  he  continued  Choiseul's 
indecisive  policy,  and  negotiated  with  the  Porte  for  help 
for  Poland.  But  the  King,  with  a  fuller  knowledge  of  the 
trend  of  affairs,  knew  that  it  was  too  late  for  prudent  inter- 
ference in  the  iniquitous  drama  being  played  on  the  Polish 
stage.  Count  Wielhorski,  the  envoy  of  the  Confederates, 
and  an  energetic  and  sensible  man,  was  then  in  Paris  work- 
ing for  the  interests  of  his  country.1  Frederick's  letters  to 
the  Count  de  Solms  show  that  he  feared  this  adversary, 
and  required  minute  accounts  of  his  proceedings.  He  wrote 
on  May  17,  1772,  that :  "  After  receiving  the  news  brought 
by  a  courier  that  Austrian  troops,  to  the  number  of  40,000 
men,  were  in  Poland  marching  on  Cracow,  whilst  the  Russians 
were  advancing  from  the  opposite  side  with  a  force  of  20,000 
men,  Count  Wielhorski  immediately  left  for  Versailles  in 
order  to  acquaint  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon.  The  latter  listened 
to  him  with  the  impatience  of  one  already  better  informed. 
But  when  Count  Wielhorski  asked  him  whether  France 
would  desert  them  in  their  extremity  and  allow  Poland  to 
be  divided  among  the  Powers,  the  Duke  answered  :  '  How 
can  it  be  helped  ?  Your  weakness  is  great  and  our  efforts 
would  be  useless.  This  state  of  affairs  is  the  result  of  your 

1  There  is  an  interesting  essay  in  French  on  the  constitution  of 
Poland,  published  in  London  in  1775  by  "  the  Count  de  Wielhorski. 
Steward  of  the  Grand  Duchy  of  Lithuania." 


132  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

internal  dissensions  and  the  evil  intrigues  of  my  prede- 
cessor.' The  Count  went  his  way  lamenting." 

This  was  the  only  occasion  on  which  Madame  Du  Barry 
played  an  active  part,  and  then  only  in  the  sphere  of  pity. 
On  leaving  the  Minister,  Wielhorski  went  to  the  favourite 
to  implore  her  to  plead  his  cause  with  Louis  XV.  He  gave 
her  an  account  of  the  constitution  of  his  country  and  of  the 
Confederations  which,  in  reality  the  defenders  of  liberty, 
were  misrepresented  as  forms  of  anarchy ;  he  told  her  of 
the  heroism  of  his  countrymen,  and  exposed  to  her  the 
brutality  of  the  Russians,  the  cynicism  of  the  Prussians  and 
the  hypocrisy  of  the  Austrians.  She  listened  with  interest, 
"  visibly  moved,"  and  exhorted  him  to  have  courage.  The 
same  day  she  probably  spoke  to  the  King.  But  the  waging 
of  war  would  require  both  money  and  the  support  of 
London,  and  the  Treasury  was  drained,  while  England 
had  little  desire  to  be  involved  in  the  conflict.  Yet  the 
favourite,  with  her  childish  incapacity  for  realising  all  this, 
imagined  that  such  a  sinister  development  of  affairs  would 
follow. 

In  the  meanwhile  d'Aiguillon  sent  assistance  and  won  the 
King's  consent  to  a  naval  demonstration.  Maria  Theresa 
thereupon  wrote  to  Mercy  the  following  instructions, 
indicating  her  anxiety  at  Madame  Du  Barry's  possible 
intentions  and  actions  : 

I  have  informed  my  daughter  that  I  have  charged  you 
with  an  important  mission,  which  is  near  to  my  heart  both 
as  a  sovereign  and  a  mother.  It  is  this.  Our  unfortunate 
situation,  as  much  with  respect  to  Poland  as  to  the  Prus- 
sians and  the  Russians,  with  whom  we  are  forced  to  keep 
on  good  terms  in  order  to  avoid  a  greater  evil,  can  assuredly 
change  nothing  of  our  alliance  with  France  and  Spain  that 
is  the  natural  outcome  of  our  united  interests  and  houses. 
Having  laid  down  which,  I  do  not  deny  that  France  has  some 
cause  for  complaint  at  the  way  matters  have  been  managed. 
That  it  could  not  be  prevented  was  due  to  no  lack  of  good- 
will ;  but,  having  to  deal  according  to  plans  laid  down 
some  time  ago  with  a  much  stronger  party,  to  whose  activ- 
ities the  absolute  inefficiency  of  the  Porte  gave  free  play, 


FRANCE   AND   THE   ALLIANCE  133 

we  could  not,  without  risking  our  own  existence,  refuse  the 
offers  made  us  at  the  end  of  February  on  the  express  con- 
dition of  communicating  them  to  no  one.  .  .  .  We  are 
assured  that  England  and  the  King  of  Prussia  want  to  win 
over  the  Barry,  but  you  should  know  better  than  I  whether 
this  is  so.  .  .  .  The  King  is  constant  hi  friendship, 
and  I  dare  appeal  to  his  heart ;  but  he  is  weak,  and  his 
surroundings  do  not  allow  him  sufficient  time  to  reflect  and 
follow  the  promptings  of  his  own  good  feeling.  You  under- 
stand how  important  it  is  to  the  preservation  of  the  Alliance 
that  everything  should  be  done  at  this  critical  time  to  pre- 
vent permanent  separation.  I  shall  never  desert  the  system 
adopted,  and  I  have  given  convincing  proofs  of  my  sentiments. 
But  should  France  have  dealings  with  Prussia,  who  would  cer- 
tainly deceive  her,  I  must  inform  you  that  such  would  be 
the  only  case  in  which  I  could  not  help  altering  at  once  ;  I 
should  do  so  with  very  great  regret,  but  it  would  be  inevit- 
able. Every  possible  means  must  be  taken  to  prevent 
these  evils  and  troubles  to  the  monarchy  and  the  family, 
and  only  my  daughter,  the  Dauphine,  with  the  help  of  your 
counsels  and  knowledge  of  the  place,  can  render  such  a 
service  to  her  family  and  her  country.  Above  all,  she  must 
win  the  favour  of  the  King  by  her  attentions  and  tender- 
ness ;  she  should  seek  to  divine  his  wishes,  should  offend 
him  in  nothing,  and  must  treat  the  favourite  well.  I 
demand  of  her  no  close  intercourse,  much  less  any  meanness, 
only  the  attentions  she  owes  for  the  sake  of  her  grandfather 
and  master,  for  the  sake  of  the  good  which  may  result  to 
us  and  the  two  Courts  ;  perhaps  the  Alliance  depends  on 
her  actions. 

Maria  Theresa  was  mistaken  in  her  fears  ;  Louis  XV.  had 
no  intention  of  separating  from  his  old  friend.  The  Alliance 
had  been  his  own  well-thought-out  work,  and  he  would  not 
be  the  first  to  break  it.  The  country  was  at  last  recovering 
from  the  effects  of  the  Seven  Years'  War  and,  in  spite  of 
public  agitation,  many  of  the  provinces  were  thriving,  the 
peasants  were  happier,  commerce  was  developing,  all  the 
arts  were  flourishing,  and  Europe  still  recognised  the  hege- 
mony of  France.  The  monarch  was  certainly  not  going  to 
endanger  the  prosperity  of  his  country  for  a  chivalrous  but 


134  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

useless  enterprise ;  he  hardened  himself  with  prudent 
egoism. 

Mercy,  for  his  part,  often  went  to  see  the  Countess  and 
cultivated  her  goodwill  towards  the  Austrian  party ;  "I 
have  commenced  to  instruct  her  on  the  great  truths  of  His- 
tory," he  pompously  wrote  to  the  Empress  ;  "  she  listens, 
and  understands  what  I  say.  I  try  to  guide  her  by  her  own 
personal  interests,  and  since  Madame  la  Dauphine  has  begun 
to  give  some  small  support  to  my  proceedings,  I  hope  that 
affairs  here  will  remain  on  the  footing  which  the  service  of 
Your  Majesty  requires." 

As  Mercy  said,  the  young  Princess  had  in  fact  seconded 
Maria  Theresa's  views ;  from  the  moment  she  felt  herself 
to  be  the  frail  link  uniting  the  two  sovereign  houses,  she 
studied  how  to  serve  the  cause  of  the  Alliance.  She  now 
supported  the  favourite  even  against  Mesdames.  At  Com- 
piegne  she  sent  the  Dauphin  to  the  supper-parties  at  the 
"  Petit  Chateau,"  over  which  the  mistress  presided,  and 
when,  one  Sunday  morning,  Mesdames  Du  Barry  and 
d'Aiguillon  came  to  pay  their  court  to  her,  she  received 
them  with  smiles,  the  charming  smiles  with  which  she 
thought  to  make  amends  for  the  desertion  of  Poland.1 
She  was  no  doubt  influenced  by  Mercy,  who  had  redoubled 
his  "pressing  representations."  He  relates  how  "  after 
the  Royal  Mass,  the  favourite  arrived  with  the  Duchess 
d'Aiguillon.  Madame  la  Dauphine  at  first  spoke  to 
the  latter,  and  than,  turning  towards  the  favourite,  she 
made  some  remarks  on  the  weather  and  the  chase  in  such  a 
way  that,  without  directly  addressing  the  Countess  Du 
Barry,  the  latter  could  yet  imagine  that  the  remarks  were 
made  as  much  to  her  as  to  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon.  No 
more  was  needed  to  satisfy  the  favourite.  The  King  was 
informed  of  what  had  passed,  and  showed  his  pleasure  to 
Madame  la  Dauphine  by  several  little  attentions  at  dinner 

1  Mercy  adds  that  on  the  departure  of  the  two  ladies,  the  Prin- 
cess made  some  very  well-judged  reflections  on  the  subject  of  the 
attitude  to  be  taken  up  towards  the  favourite,  which  were  approved 
by  the  Dauphin,  who  was  present,  as  also  the  Count  and  Countess 
de  Provence. 


A    SCURRILOUS    BOOK  135 

the  same  evening."  The  political  interest  of  this  day  was 
not  lost  on  the  Ambassadors,  of  whom  more  than  one 
thought  right  to  give  an  account  of  its  incidents  in  his 
despatches.  "  Matters  must  have  been  serious,"  wrote  one 
of  them,  "  that  Madame  la  Dauphine  should  have  consented 
to  break  with  her  aunts,  work  at  overcoming  the  Dauphin's 
aversion  for  Madame  Du  Barry  and  herself  grant  the  latter 
that  grain  of  recognition  which  she  had  hitherto  always 
denied  her." 

The  Court  left  Compiegne  on  August  27  ;  on  her  return  to 
Versailles  the  Countess  was  subjected' to  a  violently  libellous 
attack.  The  Lieutenant-general  of  police  displayed  great 
zeal  in  suppressing  the  sale  of  the  book,  which  was  printed 
in  England,  but  some  copies  were,  none  the  less,  put  hi 
circulation.  Its  title  ran  :  The  Authentic  Memoirs  of  the 
Countess  Du  Barre  (sic),  Mistress  of  Louis  XV.,  King  of 
France.  Extracts  from  a  manuscript  in  the  possession  of 
Madame  la  Duchesse  de  Villeroy,  by  the  Chevalier  Fr.  N. 
Translated  from  the  English. 

The  Duchess  de  Villeroy  was  most  certainly  not  concerned 
in  its  coarse  and  verbose  anecdotes,  of  which  even  the 
Memoir es  secrets  speak  with  disgust,  unable  to  find  "  a 
single  one  which  may  be  held  to  approach  the  truth."  The 
publication  was  less  a  pamphlet  than  a  filthy  novel  to  which 
a  well-known  name  had  been  appended.  The  initials  of  the 
title  were  reluctantly  admitted  to  disclose  the  authorship 
of  Francois  Nogaret,  the  "  French  Aristaenetus,  a  writer 
of  some  talent  whose  style  was  not  unattractive.  He  was 
imprisoned  hi  the  Bastille  in  1765  for  the  obscene  publica- 
tion of  the  Capucinades,  and  he  now  revenged  himself 
cruelly  on  the  King's  mistress. 

She  was  saddened  by  this  piece  of  malice,  but  soon  found 
consolation  hi  the  arrival  of  the  happiest  of  news  from 
Sweden.  On  August  19,  Gustavus  III.  freed  himself  from 
his  nobility  by  a  Royal  Revolution  accomplished  in  the 
space  of  a  few  hours.  When  on  September  17  the  Baron  de 
Lieven  came  to  Versailles,  with  a  white  handkerchief  on 
his  arm,  to  announce  the  victory,  the  Countess  was  trans- 


136  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

ported  with  joy.  She  wanted  at  once  to  send  the  young 
Prince  her  bust,  and  also  her  portrait  by  Greuze.  The  Count 
de  Creutz  wrote  to  his  sovereign  of  her  desire,  begging  him 
to  thank  the  favourite,  but  at  the  same  time  to  remember 
public  opinion,  for  early  changes  at  Court  were  to  be  ex- 
pected. Gustavus  followed  the  advice  of  his  Ambassador, 
and  wrote  thus : 

Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barry, — The  interest  you  take 
in  my  success  makes  it  all  the  more  agreeable  to  me.  The 
Baron  de  Lieven  has  faithfully  reported  to  me  all  the  kind- 
ness you  have  shown  him,  and  I  am  sincerely  grateful  to 
you.  I  confidently  rely  on  the  sentiments  you  have  always 
expressed  for  me,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  I  shall  frequently 
have  occasion  to  speak  of  the  gratitude  with  which  I  am, 
very  truly  yours  .  .  . 

The  young  King  ought,  indeed,  to  be  full  of  gratitude  to 
the  favourite  whose  goodwill  continued  to  support  his 
vigorous  action  against  the  hostility  of  foreign  Courts.  By 
the  success  of  her  protege  France  won  a  striking  revenge 
for  the  spoliation  of  Poland.  The  Prussians  and  the  Rus- 
sians did  not  conceal  their  dissatisfaction ;  Frederick  pre- 
dicted every  kind  of  misfortune  to  his  nephew  for  his  coup 
d'etat,  and  Catherine,  assuming  an  attitude  of  detachment, 
showed  no  less  vexation  in  a  letter  to  Voltaire.  She  laughed 
at  a  nation  that  had  "  lost  in  less  than  a  quart  er-of-an-hour 
its  constitution  and  its  liberty,"  and  declared  its  ruler  to  be 
"  as  despotic  as  the  King  of  France." 

The  triumph,  which  Gustavus  III.  owed  in  part  to  the 
Cabinet  of  Versailles,  heightened  the  prestige  of  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon.  The  Printing  Department  of  the  Foreign 
Office  issued  a  leaflet  on  "  The  form  of  government  in  Sweden 
ratified  by  the  King  and  the  Estates  of  the  Realm  at 
Stockholm  on  August  21,  1772,  together  with  the  speeches 
delivered  on  the  occasion  of  its  closure."  Though  the 
extracts  were  scattered  in  various  gazettes,  the  Minister 
had  them  carefully  collected,  and  distributed  them  in  the 
above  form.  Voltaire  made  use  of  the  revolution  in  the 
North  to  fill  his  last  tragedy,  Les  Lois  de  Minos,  with  allu- 


VOLTAIRE 
Engraved  ly  Langlois  from  the  painting  by  De  Latour 


VOLTAIRE'S   LAST   TRAGEDY  137 

sions.  Certain  eulogies  at  first  addressed  to  the  Chancellor 
Maupeou  were  now  applied  to  "  The  young  and  worthy  heir 
of  the  great  name  of  Gustavus." 

At  the  request  of  the  author,  Lekain  recited  Les  Lois  de 
Minos  before  Madame  Du  Deffand  and  a  gathering  of  her 
friends.  The  illustrious  writer  would  gladly  have  had  the 
same  happen  at  the  favourite's,  but  the  Court  persisted 
more  than  ever  in  its  golden  dreams.  Voltaire  said  on  this 
subject  to  "  his  guardian  angel,"  d'Argental :  "  The  Mar- 
shal has  written  to  me  that  he  will  have  him  [Lekain] 
imprisoned  if  he  is  not  in  Paris  by  the  4th  [October].  .  .  . 
He  will  bring  you  Minos'  code,  which  I  gave  him  when  he 
left  Ferney.  I  am  sorry  that  Madame  Du  Barry  has  not 
heard  the  recital,  for  I  hear  she  has  much  natural  taste  and 
wit.  You  ought  to  know  that  better  than  I,  you  who  must 
needs  go  to  Court."  Since  it  concerned  Gustavus,  the 
Countess  was  eager  to  read  the  "  Cretan  tragedy,"  much  to 
Voltaire's  gratification. 

On  September  22  Louis  XV.  and  the  favourite  went  to 
Neuilly  to  open  the  new  bridge,  which  was  a  magnificent 
piece  of  architecture.  Monsieur  de  Trudaine,  superintendent 
of  finance,  prepared  a  great  reception  for  them.  Everyone 
thronged  to  the  f£te,  whose  picturesque  and  animated 
scene  has  been  preserved  in  a  sketch  by  Hubert  Robert. 
Versailles  and  Paris  both  joined  in  the  rejoicings,  which 
were  really  in  honour  of  the  mistress,  and  roused  dissatis- 
faction among  the  Royal  Family,  who  had  been  carefully 
excluded. 

But  the  capital  was  not  the  only  place  to  court  her.  In 
Bordeaux  a  ship  was  built  and  launched  in  the  month  of 
October,  bearing  the  name  of  Comtesse  Du  Barry.  There  is 
a  drawing  signed  by  the  painter  Delorge,  in  a  frame  sur- 
mounted by  the  arms  of  the  favourite,  now  hi  the  Ver- 
sailles Museum.  Inscribed  on  it  are  the  following  lines  : 

Vaisseau  tu  peux  sans  crainte  aller  braver  1'orage, 
Ton  nom  est  Du  Barry,  tu  portes  son  image. 
De  la  beaut e  Neptune  aime  a  porter  les  fers  ; 
Ampbitrite  moins  belle  a  regne  sur  les  mers. 


138  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

The  frigate  sails  on  a  calm  sea,  and  Minerva,  appearing 
in  a  cloud,  seems  anxious  to  protect  her ;  Fame  is  by  her 
side  ;  above,  spirits  symbolising  the  arts,  support  her  lady- 
ship's escutcheon,  and  a  floating  pennant  bears  the  famous 
word  Boutez.  Nothing  could  be  more  flattering  than  such 
an  allegory,  and  one  may  easily  understand  why  the  Coun- 
tess always  kept  the  picture  among  her  most  precious 
possessions,  long  after  her  name  had  ceased  to  be  wafted 
over  the  seas. 

The  time  for  the  visit  to  Fontainebleau  was  approaching, 
and  the  Countess  was  much  busied  with  milliners  and 
dressmakers,  with  the  choosing  of  gala  frocks  and  full  dress 
robes.  Assisted  by  Papillon  de  La  Ferte  she  had  selected 
the  repertory  of  plays  for  the  season.  "  I  was  yesterday  at 
Choisy,"  wrote  the  latter  on  October  4.  "  Madame  Du  Barry 
asked  me  to  add  Alphee  et  Arethuse  to  the  Fontainebleau 
repertory,  for  the  Demoiselle  Arnould.  Thinking  the  list 
finally  determined,  I  left  her.  But  when  I  came  to  the  King, 
His  Majesty  asked  me  if  I  had  not  come  to  Choisy  to  effect 
some  alterations  in  the  repertory.  I  assented.  '  Well,  as 
long  as  you  stay  you  will  not  be  rid  of  the  business,'  he  did 
me  the  honour  to  say.  And,  indeed,  just  as  I  was  leaving, 
Madame  Du  Barry  sent  to  tell  me  that  on  further  reflec- 
tion she  did  not  want  the  Cinquantaine.  I  pleaded  in  vain 
with  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  on  behalf  of  Monsieur  de  La 
Borde,  First  Valet  of  the  Bedchamber,  who  had  written 
the  play.  She  persisted  in  her  decision,  saying  that  how- 
ever much  she  liked  Monsieur  de  La  Borde,  she  refused  to 
be  bored,  or  to  bore  others."  * 

This  autumn  at  Fontainebleau  opened  most  favourably. 
Madame  Du  Barry  was  able  to  discard  all  thought  of  politics 
for  the  amusements  she  preferred,  and  to  leave  d'Aiguillon 
and  Maupeou  "  at  daggers  drawn,"  as  his  blind  correspon- 
dent wrote  to  Walpole.  She  found  that  her  salon  looking 

1  Monsieur  de  La  Borde  was  angry,  and  accused  La  Ferte  in  some 
rather  heated  letters  of  having  made  Madame  Du  Barry  dislike  his 
play.  The  good  Master  of  the  Ceremonies  defended  himself  ;  "  I 
showed,"  he  said,  "  the  various  letters  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  who- 
will  probably  have  him  written  to  on  the  subject." 


A    MODEST   INSPIRATION  139 

out  on  the  Cour  de  Diane  had  been  enlarged,  and  ever 
greater  numbers  of  the  faithful  crowded  there  to  pay  their 
homage.  "  Her  ladyship  is  still  triumphant,"  said  Madame 
Du  Deffand.  "  Several  ladies  have  offered  themselves 
who  wish  to  increase  her  court.  They  are  tried,  and  most 
of  them  are  rejected.  The  Duchess  de  Mazarin  is  half- 
admitted,  or  in  other  words,  she  is  rather  like  the  under- 
study of  an  actress.  The  Princess  de  Kinski  has  been 
rejected,  and  the  Princess  de  Montmorency  has  withdrawn 
since  Madame  de  Mazarin  was  received." 

As  soon  as  she  was  settled,  Madame  Du  Barry  went,  with 
the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon,  to  pay  her  respects  to  the  Dauphine, 
having  previously  asked  Mercy  "  to  arrange  that  she 
should  be  as  well  received  as  possible."  The  Princess  was 
not  favourably  inclined,  and  would  have  preferred  to  shut 
the  door  unceremoniously  in  her  face.  But  as  ever,  she 
was  compelled  to  submit  to  the  ordeal  in  the  interests  of 
her  mother.  This  time  she  sought  aid  from  Heaven,  and 
during  Mass  she  prayed  :  "  Oh,  Lord,  if  it  be  Thy  will  that 
I  speak,  make  me  speak  :  I  shall  do  even  as  Thy  goodness 
may  inspire  me."  And  Heaven  inspired  her  with  the 
simple  remark,  which  was,  moreover,  addressed  to  Madame 
d'Aiguillon  :  "  The  weather  is  bad  to-day  ;  one  will  not  be 
able  to  go  out."  It  was  not  much,  and  once  more  Monsieur 
de  Kaunitz  declared  the  Archduchess  to  be  "  bad  at  follow- 
ing a  lead." 

The  day  after  the  visit  the  Countess  accepted  an  invita- 
tion to  supper  with  the  Duke  de  La  Vrilliere.  Among  the 
others  invited  were  the  Duchess  de  Cosse,  Mistress  of  the 
Robes  to  the  Dauphine.  The  proud  Duchess  refused,  for 
she  hated  the  favourite,  whom  she  thought  Monsieur  de 
Cosse  admired  too  much.  To  shield  his  wife  the  latter 
cleverly  put  the  blame  on  the  Dauphine,  but  Mercy  assured 
Madame  Du  Barry  that  Marie  Antoinette  had  nothing  to  do 
with  the  whims  of  her  Mistress  of  the  Robes,  and  she  willingly 
believed  him.  She  seemed  pleased  with  Mercy's  attentions, 
and  she  always  admitted  him  to  her  evening  receptions, 
which  took  place  when  Louis  XV.  dined  with  his  family. 


140  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

The  Ambassador  boasted  of  these  distinctions  in  the 
peevish  tone  that  suited  the  circumstances.  "  The  woman 
only  receives  foreign  Ministers  on  Sunday  afternoons ;  / 
am  the  only  one  to  have  access  to  her  daily,  even  when  the  King 
is  present.  ..."  He  profited  by  this  privilege  to  advance 
the  interests  of  his  Queen.  He  confided  to  the  favourite 
how  much  the  French  Ambassador  at  Vienna,  Cardinal 
Louis  de  Rohan,  displeased  Maria  Theresa,  if  not  the  fair 
Austrians.  He  insinuated  in  many  ways  how  little  suited 
such  a  superficial  man  was  to  his  post,  and  suggested  his 
recall.  Madame  Du  Barry  replied  without  compromising 
herself,  "  that  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  and  she  thought  little 
of  the  talents  of  Prince  Louis,  whom  they  knew  to  be  very 
light-minded ;  but  that  his  recall  would  seem  like  a  dis- 
grace, which  would  rouse  the  antagonism  of  the  Prince  de 
Soubise  and  the  Princess  de  Marsan,  whom  they  were  trying 
to  separate  from  the  Chancellor's  party,  and  therefore  did 
not  wish  to  offend  ;  and  finally,  that  the  Prince  de  Rohan's 
embassy  would  only  be  of  short  duration.  .  .  .  ,"  no 
bad  answer  for  a  novice  at  diplomacy. 

The  last  performance  of  the  year  at  Fontainebleau  was 
Tom  Jones,  followed  by  a  ballet  in  which  the  younger 
Vestris  danced  for  the  first  time.  "  The  Sieur  Larriv£e  and 
his  wife  sang  the  interludes.  Everyone  agreed  that  in  all 
Europe  it  would  be  difficult  to  bring  together  so  large  a 
number  of  such  distinguished  talents."  Thus  Monsieur  de 
La  Fert£.  It  would  probably  have  been  just  as  difficult  to 
find  greater  splendour  and  elegance  than  that  displayed  by 
the  company  of  great  ladies  who  were  present  at  the  Royal 
performance.  Among  them  the  favourite,  in  a  gown  of 
"  mauve  cr£pon "  with  gold-bespangled  paniers,  shone 
resplendent,  in  her  diadem  of  amethysts  and  heavy  necklets, 
which  made  her  seem  more  like  a  fragile  and  magnificent 
idol  than  a  human  being. 

On  November  17  the  Court  returned  to  Versailles.  The 
gilded  rooms  of  the  favourite  were  exceedingly  pleasant  in 
winter.  Elsewhere  in  the  vast  chambers  of  the  Chateau 
one  froze,  but  there  it  was  always  warm  and  fragrant. 


CONDI?    CAPITULATES  141 

They  were,  however,  too  small  for  the  entertainments  she 
intended  to  give,  and  she  bought  a  house  in  Versailles  in 
the  Avenue  de  Paris.  The  celebrated  Rene  Binet,  First 
Valet-de-chambre  to  the  Dauphin,  and  a  cousin  of  Madame 
de  Pompadour,  had  built  it  in  175 1.1  It  was  modest  in  size, 
but  surrounded  by  extensive  gardens.  Madame  Du  Barry 
meant  to  have  a  large  hotel  built  on  the  grounds,  where  she 
could  move  all  her  household,  and  she  had  asked  the  archi- 
tect Ledoux  for  plans. 

The  Countess  was  busy  with  these  schemes  when  an  in- 
cident occurred  which,  though  expected,  caused  some 
sensation  both  at  Court  and  in  Paris.  The  Princes  of  the 
Blood  who  had  taken  the  part  of  the  exiled  Parliament 
capitulated.  Conde  had  sought  every  possible  means  of 
returning  to  favour  since  his  enforced  breach  with  the  King. 
His  opportunity  came  on  the  occasion  of  his  asking  for  the 
Knighthood  of  the  Holy  Ghost  for  his  son.  He  wrote  a  very 
humble  letter  to  the  King,  and  the  Count  de  la  Marche,  the 
Prince  de  Soubise  and  Monsieur  de  Maupeou  undertook  the 
negotiations.  The  sovereign  was  indifferent,  and  "  allowed 
him  to  come  the  following  day,"  as  the  Dauphine  wrote  to 
her  mother.  "  He  and  his  son  paid  their  visit  to  us  all." 
Nor  did  the  Prince  forget  to  call  on  the  favourite,  and 
although  he  had  neglected  her  advice  hi  the  matter  she 
received  him  very  kindly.  But  the  ballads  took  up  a 
different  attitude : 

Pour  faire  une  fausse  demarche 
Conde  se  montre  le  premier, 
Crainte  que  son  cousin  La  Marche 
Des  hommes  ne  soit  le  dernier. 

"  The  Father  and  the  Son  have  gone  to  look  for  the  Holy 
Ghost,"  said  one ;  "  He  went  to  prove  his  nobility,"  said 
another. 

Through  the  good  offices  of  Madame  Du  Barry,  the  Duke 
d' Orleans  and  the  Duke  de  Chartres  were  reconciled  to  His 

1  See  Chapter  V.  The  sellers  were  Binet  de  Boisgiroux  and 
Binet  de  Marchais,  the  husband  of  the  witty  Madame  de  Marchais, 
who  as  Madame  d'Angiviller  became,  later,  the  friend  of  Madame  Du 
Barry. 


142  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Majesty.  The  Duke  d'Orleans  was  anxious  to  obtain 
Louis'  consent  to  his  marriage  with  Madame  de  Montesson, 
and  hoped  the  favourite  would  win  it  for  him.  The  King 
hesitated  long  before  giving  way  ;  Madame  de  Montesson 
was  the  bourgeoise  widow  of  a  gentleman  who,  in  his  old 
age,  had  married  the  young  girl  of  sixteen.  She  was  an 
agreeable  woman,  whose  purity  of  morals  was  unusual  in  such 
an  age,  and  her  prolonged  resistance  to  his  wishes  had  greatly 
quickened  the  Duke's  passion.  The  Countess  succeeded 
in  persuading  the  King  to  consent  to  the  marriage,  but  he 
refused  the  bride  permission  to  take  the  name  and  title  of 
her  husband.  No  doubt  the  mistress  herself  would  have 
accepted  a  morganatic  marriage  with  the  King  on  even 
lower  terms,  but  such  a  thing  was  no  longer  to  be  thought 
of.  Much  to  the  favourite's  grief,  the  legal  enactment  of 
her  divorce  was  not  effected,  a  circumstance  that  increased 
Louis'  uneasiness  of  conscience. 

New  Year's  Day,  1773,  brought  a  crowd  of  visitors  to 
Madame  Du  Barry ;  she  received  them  with  gracious 
smiles,  conscious  that  she  appeared  even  more  fair  in  the 
fascinating  dress  of  gold  lace  and  brocade  she  had  chosen 
for  the  occasion.  There  were  Dukes  and  Duchesses,  great 
lords  and  ladies,  all  beautifully  dressed ;  Ministers,  Ambas- 
sadors and  Royal  officers,  and  the  eager  throng  of  friends 
and  dependants  of  the  Countess. 

The  King  had  already  come  at  daybreak  by  the  little 
staircase  to  wish  her  the  compliments  of  the  season,  and  the 
tender  gaiety  with  which  she  responded  may  be  imagined. 
But  now  she  threw  her  silk  cloak  about  her  shoulders,  put 
on  her  hat  trimmed  with  blond-lace  and  white  plumes,  and, 
with  her  sister-in-law  and  Mesdames  de  Maupeou  and 
d'Aiguillon,  went  in  her  turn  to  pay  her  respects  to  the 
Royal  Family.  His  Majesty  smiled  on  the  visitors  ;  the 
Dauphin  received  them  most  kindly  and  graciously  spoke 
to  the  favourite,  much  to  her  surprise,  for,  as  a  rule,  he 
addressed  no  one.  But  the  reception  they  were  given  by 
the  Dauphine  was  quite  different.  She  did  not  condescend 
to  notice  the  presence  of  the  ladies,  except  by  pouting  her 


A    PARENTAL    REPROOF  143 

pretty,  Austrian  lips  a  little  more.  She  seemed  to  think 
she  had  done  enough  for  the  Countess  by  pleading  her  cause 
with  the  Dauphin.  As  she  explained,  in  reply  to  Mercy's 
diplomatic  reprimands,  she  had  passed  on  to  him  the  duty 
of  an  outward  show  of  favour,  and  indeed  her  useless  hus- 
band, for  once,  might  do  her  such  a  service. 

The  favourite  was  not  exactly  charmed  with  her  recep- 
tion. D'Aiguillon  undertook  to  tell  the  Austrian  Ambas- 
sador that  "  The  Dauphine  seemed  intentionally  to  set  the 
King  at  defiance  from  the  way  she  treated  the  people  he 
most  favoured."  Mercy  retorted  that  the  King  allowed 
himself  to  neglect  "  his  own  children  every  day,"  making 
use  of  the  case  of  Mesdames  to  excuse  his  Archduchess.  But 
Maria  Theresa,  fearing  the  consequences  of  her  daughter's 
caprice,  wrote  to  her  at  once :  "I  am  not  satisfied  with 
your  behaviour  on  New  Year's  Day.  .  .  .  Amends 
must  be  made  at  the  first  opportunity ;  the  month  of 
February  will  serve  the  purpose  as  well  as  that  of  January. 
I  do  not  think  it  too  much  to  ask  that  you  should  speak  to 
the  favourite  without  affectation  four  or  five  times  a  year, 
and  you  cannot  abash  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  better  than  by 
not  letting  him  get  the  advantage  of  you  on  this  point." 
All  the  importance  attached  to  "  the  woman "  only 
increased  the  vexation  of  the  Dauphine.  "  The  ill  will  of 
the  favourite,"  Mercy  said  again,  "  might  have  most  dan- 
gerous consequences,  which  should  at  all  costs  be  avoided, 
on  affairs  of  the  greatest  importance."  The  fact  was  that 
the  Polish  Partition  question  was  still  unsettled,  and  Mon- 
sieur d'Aiguillon,  who  played  a  thankless  part  in  the  affair, 
could  not  help  owing  Maria  Theresa  a  grudge. 

At  this  time  the  attention  of  the  favourite  was  distracted 
from  politics  by  all  the  Carnival  festivities,  which  reached 
their  highest  point  of  splendour  at  Versailles.  Suppers, 
balls  and  plays  followed  each  other  in  rapid  succession. 
Mademoiselle  Raucourt,  who  had  recently  enjoyed  a  success 
at  the  Theatre  Francois,  made  her  debut  before  the  Court, 
and  all  agreed  she  was  the  most  accomplished  actress  they 
had  seen.  She  was  only  sixteen  years  and  a  half,  "  per- 


144  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

fectly  made,  with  the  most  beautiful,  noble,  theatrical  face, 
a  voice  of  the  most  ravishing  quality,  and  a  prodigious 
intellect,"  according  to  the  raptures  of  the  Memoires  secrets. 
For  six  months  "  this  tiger  of  virtue  "  resisted  the  most 
attractive  proposals,  but  then  what  amends  she  won  !  She 
played  "  Dido  "  before  the  King,  who  had  fifty  louis  sent 
to  her,  and  presented  "  the  Queen  of  Carthage  "  to  the 
Dauphine.  The  favourite  shared  the  general  enthusiasm. 
"  The  fair  Countess  asked  her  which  she  liked  best,  three 
dresses  for  her  own  use  or  a  theatrical  costume.  The  actress 
replied  that,  since  the  Countess  allowed  her  to  choose,  she 
would  prefer  the  theatrical  costume,  which  would  give  plea- 
sure to  the  public  as  well." 1  The  favourite  sent  to  the  young 
artist  a  magnificent  costume  of  "  a  silver  material  striped 
with  gold,  embroidered  in  green,  and  covered  with  spangles 
and  knots  of  rubies,  very  costly  "  ;  the  price  was,  in  fact, 
6,600  livres.  Other  ladies  of  the  Court  followed  her  example  ; 
the  Princess  de  Beauvau,  the  Duchess  de  Villeroy  and  the 
Princess  de  Guemenee  received  the  popular  actress  as  the 
Countess  had  done,  and  presented  her  with  "  superb  cos- 
tumes." 2  Later  she  wore  the  splendid  garments  in 
the  performances  given  under  the  auspices  of  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon  and  Madame  Du  Barry  in  turn. 

First  of  all,  the  young  Viscount  invited  his  pretty  aunt 
to  an  evening  reception  in  Mademoiselle  Chon's  rooms. 
Then  there  was  an  entertainment  at  the  Duke's  in  his  hotel 
at  Versailles.  None  of  the  diversions  devised  by  the  ex- 
quisite taste  of  the  age  were  lacking  ;  ballet,  supper-party 
and  masked  ball,  all  displayed  a  luxury  and  elegance  only 
known  to  the  latter  part  of  the  i8th  century.  The  inter- 
ludes were  dedicated  to  the  favourite,  who  was  present 

1  The  writer  says  later  that  "  Madame  Du  Barry  took  sufficient 
interest  in  the  new  actress  to  exhort  her  to  be  prudent."  Made- 
moiselle Raucourt's  portrait,  drawn  by  Freudeberg  and  engraved 
by  Lingee,  bears  a  dedication  to  Madame  Du  Barry  and  her  arms. 

1  Grimm  could  not  find  words  enough  to  praise  "  the  wise 
Raucourt."  "  To  see  the  fair  Queen  of  Carthage  who  was  so  imposing 
on  the  stage  sitting  quietly  dressed  in  ordinary  attire,  shy  and 
embarrassed,  in  the  corner  of  some  great  lady's  reception  room,  was 
most  striking." 


A    REGAL   ENTERTAINMENT  145 

with  many  other  ladies,  "  with  all  the  great  people  there 
are."  "  The  black  snake  "  that  disturbed  the  village  fes- 
tival of  the  play,  people  chose  to  consider  a  personification 
of  Monsieur  de  Maupeou,  for  the  Chancellor  was  lampooned 
just  as  much  at  Court  as  in  Paris.  The  Countess,  hi  her 
turn,  invited  the  Duke  and  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  to  her  villa 
in  the  Avenue  de  Paris.  Fourteen  ladies  and  fifteen  noble- 
men were  asked,  and  Papillon  de  La  Ferte  undertook  all 
the  arrangements.  "  Our  men,"  he  wrote  on  February  15, 
"  are  hard  at  work  night  and  day,  hi  spite  of  the  bad  weather. 
The  Marshal  and  Madame  Du  Barry  are  exceedingly  afraid 
that  it  will  not  be  ready  by  the  day  after  to-morrow.  I  have 
reassured  them.  I  was  yesterday  evening  at  the  Hotel  des 
Menus,  where  I  saw  the  rehearsal  by  members  of  the  Come- 
dies Franchise  and  Italienne  and  of  the  Opera.  .  .  .  The 
rehearsal  lasted  until  half-past  two  in  the  morning,  having 
begun  after  the  supper,  which  Madame  Du  Barry  had  ordered 
to  be  served  in  the  green-room."  x  A  truly  regal  enter- 
tainment was  in  preparation. 

Two  days  later,  at  midnight,  numbers  of  carriages  stopped 
at  the  villa.  Madame  Du  Barry  did  the  honours,  assisted 
by  Mademoiselle  Chon ;  and  until  daybreak  the  lights 
burned  in  the  golden  torch-stands  that  stood  amid 
baskets  of  flowers.  Voisenon  and  Favart  had  composed  the 
interludes.  A  rather  affected  allegory,  La  Reveil  des  Muses, 
des  Talents  et  des  Arts,  was  performed,  whose  only  merit  lay 
hi  allusions  ;  Love,  for  instance,  said  : 

"  En  ces  lieux  Du  Barry  s'avance, 
Plaisirs,  soyez  tous  ranimes  ! 
Est-il  possible,  en  sa  presence, 
Que  des  yeux  demeurent  fermes  1  " 

This  insipid  stuff  laid  claim  to  being  at  once  flattering 
and  mythological,  but  the  attraction  lay  rather  in  the 
acting  of  Madame  La  Ruette,  Mesdemoiselles  Raucourt  and 

1  Journal  de  Papillon  de  La  Ferte,  p.  342.  Mercy  did  not  hesi- 
ate  to  assert  that  the  sumptuous  preparations  for  this  entertainment 
"  were  carried  to  such  an  indecent  pitch  of  costliness  as  to  insult 
the  poverty  of  the  people." 

L 


146  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Dervieux,  with  Dauberval  and  Preville,  in  a  setting  of 
dreamlike  beauty.  The  ballet,  Endymion,  danced  by  Vestris, 
was  followed  by  scenes  in  which  topical  verses  were  sung, 
among  them  one  by  "  a  seller  of  barometers,"  beginning  as 
follows : 

Du  Barry  de  ces  lieux  a  chasse  la  froidure, 
Son  regard  forme  le  printemps.     .     .     . 

Every  drawing-room  was  full  of  talk  of  this  fete  ; x  for  a 
month  it  was  the  subject  of  correspondence  and  the  theme 
on  which  the  papers  discoursed,  both  praise  and  blame  being 
expressed.  Some  rejoiced  that  the  King  had  not  appeared 
at  all,  "  either  formally  or  incognito,  which  mortified  the 
favourite."  Only  one  Ambassador,  the  Count  de  Creutz, 
was  invited.  Much  comment  was  made  on  the  presence  of 
a  newcomer,  another  defection  from  Choiseul's  party. 
This  was  the  Countess  de  Forcalquier,  Madame  Du  Demand's 
"  Bellissima."  2  Mademoiselle  d'Aumont  was  there,  wearing 
a  magnificent  dress  of  white  taffetas,  the  gift  of  Madame 
Du  Barry ;  her  sister,  the  Duchess  de  Mazarin  "  retorted 
with  a  pair  of  slippers  embroidered  with  cara,"  wrote  the 
malicious  Marquise,  "  saying  that  the  feet  at  which  every- 
one would  worship  must  be  adorned." 

The  guests  at  Chanteloup  during  the  Carnival  brought 

1  "  There  has  been  much  talk  of  the  fete  given  by  Madame  la 
Comtesse  Du  Barry  in  her  villa  of  the  Avenue  de  Versailles.  There 
were  four  performances,  and  about  a  hundred  actors,  singers  and 
dancers  from  the  three  theatres.  All  kinds  of  agreeable  surprises 
were  devised  to  illustrate  the  greatness  of  the  lady's  charm.  Among 
other  things  they  speak  of  an  egg  that  was  found  in  the  middle  of 
one  of  the  rooms.  A  show  was  made  of  fetching  the  Countess  to 
see  the  marvel  that  had  so  suddenly  appeared  ;  she  barely  ap- 
proached when  it  opened.  A  fully-armed  Cupid  sprang  out,  and 
people  said  that  a  single  one  of  her  glances  made  Love  blossom  in 
all  hearts.  In  another  interlude  Love  loosened  the  bandage  from 
his  eyes,  thus  indicating  the  monarch's  enlightened  love  for  the 
favourite."  Memoires  secrets,  Vol.  xxiv.,  p.  239. 

»  Madame  de  Forcalquier  had  previously  been  to  Ghoisy,  as 
Madame  Du  Deffand  had  described  in  a  long  letter  of  January  26, 
In  another  she  said  :  "La  Bellissima  .  .  .  accepted  an  invi- 
tation because  it  was  such  that  no  one  would  dare  refuse  it.  ... 
The  reason  would  be  valid  if  she  had  not  added  to  this  compulsory 
submission  an  hour's  visit  which  was  certainly  not  so." 


THE    DANGERS    OF   LENT  147 

detailed  accounts  of  all  this  magnificence,  which  did  not, 
however,  diminish  the  gaiety  there  in  the  least.  It  was 
even  too  noisy  for  the  little  exiled  Duchess,  according  to 
her  big  Abbe.  "  Oh,  Lord,  what  a  number  of  people,  what 
cries  and  noise  and  piercing  laughs,  what  bursting  of  doors, 
what  barking  of  dogs,  what  uproarious  conversation  and 
wanton  tricks,  what  voices,  arms  and  feet  in  constant 
motion.  .  .  ."  Good  taste  was  forgotten,  but  at  Ver- 
sailles it  was  jealously  adhered  to.  The  Countess  de  Noailles, 
"  Madame  Etiquette,"  Lady  of  the  Bedchamber  to  the 
Dauphine,  gave  two  balls  for  the  young  Princesses,  and  their 
beauty  added  brilliancy  to  the  scene. 

Every  dissipation  ended  with  Lent,  and  life  became  all 
masses,  benedictions  and  sermons.  The  Court  preacher, 
the  Abbe  de  Beauvais,  displayed  an  extreme  austerity,  and 
filled  his  eloquent  sermons  with  severe  denunciations.1  The 
little  Dauphine  wrote  to  her  mother :  "  We  have  a  very 
good  preacher  this  Lent,  who  gives  us  sermons  three  times 
a  week ;  he  preaches  on  the  morality  of  the  gospels,  and 
tells  everyone  a  number  of  truths.  But  I  prefer  Massillon's 
Petit  Careme,  because  it  is  more  within  my  reach." 

The  truths  of  the  divine  were  not  outside  the  favourite's 
experience,  and  though  she  seemed  at  ease  in  her  crimson 
velvet  chair,  she  trembled  none  the  less.  For  if  Louis  XV. 
returned  to  grace,  piety  supplanting  love  in  his  heart,  he 
would  dismiss  Madame  Du  Barry.  But  the  King's  affection 
remained  constant,  and,  as  a  great  favour,  the  Countess 
was  entrusted  with  the  duty  of  forming  the  household  of  the 
Count  d'Artois,  although  Madame  Adelaide  had  shown  a 
lively  desire  to  be  given  the  charge. 

The  Count  d'Artois,  the  only  attractive  one  of  the  three 
brothers,  married  Marie-Therese  of  Savoy,  the  sister  of 
Madame  de  Provence.  At  the  same  time  the  marriage  of 

1  "  Well,  Richelieu,"  said  the  King  to  the  companion  of  his 
lollies  on  leaving  the  Chapel  one  day  ;  "  the  preacher  seems  to  have 
thrown  a  good  many  stones  in  your  garden  "  (an  idiomatic  expres- 
sion for  making  severe  criticisms).  "  Yes,  sire,"  replied  the  witty 
courtier,  "  and  so  hard  that  some  of  them  rebounded  into  the  Park 
of  Versailles." 


148  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

the  good-hearted  Madame  Clotilde,  "  fat  Madame,"  as  she 
was  nicknamed,  to  the  Prince  of  Piedmont  was  announced. 
These  two  further  bonds  uniting  the  Royal  Families  of 
France  and  Savoy  disturbed  the  Empress.  "  The  party  is 
becoming  very  strong,"  she  wrote  to  her  daughter ;  and 
the  little  Dauphine  promised  full  obedience  in  order  to  restore 
her  august  mother's  tranquillity. 

Madame  Du  Barry  had  never  been  without  the  support  of 
the  world  of  letters,  and  in  return  she  bestowed  on  them 
her  powerful  protection.  It  was  a  great  honour  to  be  allowed 
to  read  a  manuscript  before  her.  La  Harpe,  who  brought 
her  his  tragedy  of  the  Barmecides,  could  not  please  her,  but 
Delille  was  more  fortunate.  "  Monsieur  de  Beauvau," 
wrote  Madame  Du  Deffand,  "  has  informed  me  that  Mon- 
sieur des  Cars  introduced  the  Abbe  Delille  to  the  Countess. 
He  recited  his  translation  of  the  fourth  book  of  the  ^Eneid 
before  her  and  all  her  court,  excepting  Madame  de  Mire- 
poix.  The  company  seemed  pleased,  which  goes  far  to 
assure  him  of  a  first  place  in  the  Academy."  Delille  was 
always  to  be  her  Ladyship's  poet. 

Soon  after,  a  letter  from  Voltaire  confirmed  the  new 
divinity's  titles  to  wit  and  beauty  : 

Madame,  Monsieur  de  la  Borde  tells  me  that  you  have 
commanded  him  to  kiss  me  on  both  cheeks  on  your  behalf. 

Quoi !  deux  baisers  sur  la  fin  de  ma  vie  1 
Quel  passeport  vous  daignez  m'envoyer  1 
Deux  !  c'est  trop  d'un,  adorable  Egerie  : 
Je  serais  mort  de  plaisir  au  premier. 

He  has  shown  me  your  portrait ;  do  not  be  angered, 
Madame,  if  I  have  taken  the  liberty  to  return  the  two  kisses 
to  it: 

Vous  ne  pouvez  empe'cher  cet  hommage, 

Faible  tribut  de  quelconque  a  des  yeux  ; 

C'est  aux  mortels  d'adorer  votre  image  ; 

L'original  etait  fait  pour  les  dieux  ! 

I  have  heard  several  extracts  from  Monsieur  de  La  Borde's 
Pandore,  and  they  seem  to  me  very  worthy  of  your  patron- 
age. Favour  bestowed  on  the  genuine  arts  is  the  only  thing 
which  can  augment  the  splendour  that  is  yours.  .  .  . 


A    HARMONY    OF   PRAISE  149 

Deign  to  accept,  Madame,  the  regard  of  an  old  solitary 
whose  heart  knows  wellnigh  only  the  one  sentiment  of 
gratitude. 

Private  correspondence  and  public  papers  were  full  of 
these  charming  stanzas,  which  excited  Madame  de  Choiseul's 
indignation,  were  admired  by  Frederick  II.,  and  smiled  on 
by  Louis  XV.1  To  the  favourite  they  were  the  crowning 
act  of  homage. 

She  was  enjoying  one  of  her  rare  moments  of  rest  when 
her  pride  of  power  yielded  to  the  sweetness  of  being  admired. 
Every  poet  sang  her  praises.  A  playwright,  Sauvigny, 
composed  some  delightful  verses  in  her  honour,  and,  finding 
he  was  encouraged,  sought  her  patronage  for  a  large  work 
of  ten  volumes,  entitled  Le  Parnasse  des  Dames,  in  which 
he  intended  to  "  make  known  the  genius  of  womanhood  of 
all  nations  throughout  the  ages."  The  first  volume,  as  soon 
as  it  appeared,  was  subscribed  for  in  great  numbers  by  the 
courtiers,  who  thus  contributed  to  the  success  Madame  Du 
Barry  desired  for  it.  2 

From  Meister,  who  afterwards  came  frequently  to  see 
her,  she  received  a  translation  of  Gessner's  Nouvelles  Idylles, 
with  a  dedication  in  verse  which  the  Almanack  des  Muses 
hastened  to  publish : 

Que  1'eglogue  au  naif  sourire 
Arrete  un  instant  vos  regards  1 
Comme  vous  belle  sans  parure, 
Elle  doit  tout  aux  mains  de  la  nature, 
Comme  vous  elle  a  quelquefois, 
Sous  1'air  d'une  simple  bergere, 
Charme  les  heros  et  les  rois.     .     .     . 

Her  exasperated  adversaries  did  not  fail  to  add  a  dis- 
cordant note  to  this  harmony  of  praise.  They  assumed 

1  In  her  letter  of  August  18  to  Madame  Du  Deffand  the  Duchess 
de  Choiseul  spoke  of  Voltaire's  note  to  the  favourite  :  "I  see  I  have 
spoilt  them  [the  verses]  in  quoting  them  to  you,  for  I  no  longer 
think  them  so  pretty.  Poor  Voltaire  has  debased  his  pen  in  his  old 
age  !  " 

1  "  The  lady  has  subscribed  for  a  prodigious  number  of  copies, 
and  whoever  would  pay  her  court  must  do  likewise.  .  .  .  It  is  a 
very  insipid  and  fulsome  rhapsody.  .  .  ."  Memoires  secrets, 
Vol.  xxiv.,  p.  256. 


150  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

that  a  most  virulent  quarrel  had  taken  place  between  the 
young  Countess  and  her  brother-in-law,  and  Count  Jean 
was  supposed  to  have  put  the  following  abusive  lines  in 
circulation : 

Drolesse ! 
Ou  prends-tu  done  ta  fierte  ? 

Princesse, 

D'oti  te  vient  ta  dignite  ?     .     .     . 
Baisse  ta  tete  altiere 
Du  moins  devant  mes  yeux  !     .     .     . 
Permets  a  qui  t'aime,  qui  t'aime, 
De  t'offrir  encor  des  sabots  ! 

Drdlesse  ! 
Mon  esprit  est-il  baisse  ? 

Princesse  ! 
Te  souvient-il  du  pass6  ? 

Madame  Du  Deffand  sent  the  ballad  to  the  Choiseuls, 
thus  returning  it,  doubtless,  to  the  place  of  its  origin.  Never- 
theless, the  Duchess  replied  :  "I  am  madly  delighted  with 
drolesse  and  princesse  ;  the  effect  of  the  two  words  together 
is  admirable.  It  is  novel,  but  most  suited  to  the  case." 

Certainly  the  Roue  was  careful  not  to  attack  the  Countess, 
especially  at  a  time  when  she  was  looking  for  a  wife  for 
Adolphe  Du  Barry.  It  was  an  arduous  undertaking,  and 
the  Royal  Equerry  would  decidedly  have  preferred  always 
to  be  near  his  beloved  aunt,  but  the  uncertainty  of  his 
future  had  to  be  guarded  against  by  a  good  match.  Jean 
Du  Barry  was  full  of  ambition  for  his  son,  and  the  first 
whom  he  thought  suitable  was  Mademoiselle  de  Saint-Andre, 
a  daughter  of  Louis  XV.  and  the  little  O'Murphy,  and  a 
pupil  at  the  convent  of  La  Presentation.  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour had  similarly  thought  to  marry  her  Alexandrine  to  the 
young  Count  de  Luc,  a  son  of  the  King  and  Madame  de 
Vintimille,  but  His  Majesty  disapproved  of  such  arrange- 
ments. Mademoiselle  de  Saint-Andre  was  very  beautiful 
and  astonishingly  like  her  father.  In  the  convent  parlour 
she  saw  the  pale  young  man  of  twenty-four,  who  wore  his 
uniform  of  a  Colonel  of  Horse  with  such  perfect  distinction. 
He  seemed  to  her  the  Prince  Charming  of  her  dreams, 
and  she  fell  in  love  with  him,  and  it  was  with  genuine  grief 


A   MARRIAGE   OF   CONVENIENCE  151 

that  she  had  to  give  up  the  project  which  had  been  laid  before 
her.1  Very  soon  afterwards  she  married  the  Marquis  de  la 
Tour  de  Pin,  and  the  mistress  herself  was  active  in  the 
preparations  for  this  wedding  too.2 

Mademoiselle  de  Saint-Andre  or  another,  all  were  alike 
to  the  young  man  whose  heart  was  filled  with  one  image  that 
nothing  could  efface.  The  Prince  de  Soubise  proposed  one 
of  his  relatives,  a  pupil  in  the  convent  of  1'Assomption,  who 
though  not  wealthy,  was  of  the  family  of  Rohan.  Helene 
de  Tournon  agreed  to  marry  the  Viscount  for  the  sake  of 
all  the  advantages  she  would  gam.  The  favourite  made 
the  pair  a  present  of  200,000  livres,  of  which  she  was  only 
to  pay  the  interest.  Among  her  magnificent  gifts  to  the 
bride  were  beribboned  underwear,  embroidered  garters, 
hats  trimmed  with  lace  and  dresses  from  which  she  might 
choose  her  wedding  gown .  Sometimes  this  was  coloured,  but 
this  one  at  least  was  specially  designed,  and  was  "  of  white 
and  silver  trimmed  with  silver  lace  and  flowers,  knots  and 
necklets  of  silver."  Her  accounts  include  also,  under 
Adolphe  Du  Barry's  name,  workboxes  with  his  coat-of- 
arms,  jewel  boxes,  fans  and  a  thousand  other  little  feminine 
trinkets. 

The  contract  was  signed  on  July  18,  as  announced  in  the 
Gazette  de  France.  The  Roue  described  himself  as  "  Most 
high  and  mighty  Seigneur,  Monseigneur  Jean-Baptiste, 

1  Jean  Du  Barry  was  even  more  loth  to  give  up  the  project,  as 
is  shown  by  a  curious  letter  which  he  wrote  to  his  sister-in-law 
bitterly  reproaching  her  for  not  having  been  sufficiently  obstinate 
in  the  matter  :  "  Mademoiselle  de  Saint- Andre  ...  in  losing 
the  hope  she  had  entertained  of  becoming  your  niece,  has  given  up 
even  the  desire  to  please,  and  refuses  every  sort  of  adornment  in  the 
seclusion  of  her  convent.  If  you  only  reflected,  my  dear  sister,  we 
should  soon  agree  that  the  very  girl  who  may  now  spend  her  life 
in  obscurity,  might  with  your  support  have  eclipsed  in  importance 
all  the  others  we  have  sought ;  and  let  us  agree  still  further  that  she 
would  have  been  the  only  one  to  awaken  in  the  Dauphin's  heart  a 
feeling  of  shame,  and  prevent  him  from  yielding  in  the  future  to 
his  impulses  of  hatred  and  jealousy  towards  all  that  bear  our  name." 
Revue  de  Paris,  1836,  Vol.  xxxiv.,  p.  142. 

1  The  marriage  took  place  on  December  29,  1773,  but  the  young 
Marquise  died  childless  the  following  year. 


152  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Comte  Du  Barry-Ceres,  Vidame  de  Chaalons,  Comte  de 
1'Isle-Jourdain,  Seigneur  de  Bellegarde,  Bretz,  Garbee, 
Lass£re,  Seijaundas,  Thil,  part  of  Maubec,  Gray  and  other 
places,  Governor  of  Le"vignac,  resident  in  his  hotel,  rue 
Richelieu,  parish  of  Saint-Roch."  The  Countess  could  well 
smile  at  this  array  of  titles,  she  knew  how  ludicrously  little 
they  meant,  but  the  high-sounding  words  looked  well  on 
the  document  which  had  first  been  signed  by  the  King 
and  the  Dauphin,  the  Dauphine  and  all  the  Royal  Family. 
The  order  of  the  signatures  in  this  strangely  mixed  list  of 
names  is  worthy  of  note :  "  Louis ;  Louis- Auguste ;  Marie- 
Antoinette  ;  Stanislas-Xavier  [Count  de  Provence] ;  Charles- 
Philippe  [Count  d'Artois]  ;  Marie- Adelaide,  Victoire-Louise, 
Sophie-Philippe  [Mesdames  de  France]  ;  Jeanne  Gomard 
Vaubernier,  Countess  Du  Barry ;  Count  Jean  Du  Barry ; 
Jean-Baptiste  (Adolphe),  Viscount  Du  Barry  ;  Franchise  Du 
Barry  [Chon] ;  the  Chevalier  Du  Barry ;  the  Count  de  Tour- 
non ;  Souveraine  de  Trelemont,  Contaice  (sic)  de  Tournon ; 
Rose-Marie-He"l£ne  de  Tournon  [the  bride] ;  Sophie  de  Tour- 
non ;  Beaujon,  etc."1  On  July  19,  the  day  after  this  pompous 
performance,  the  religious  ceremony  took  place  in  the  Chapel 
of  Versailles,  and  the  favourite  fastened  with  her  own  hand 
the  sword-knot  "  of  green  and  gold,  adorned  with  gold  lace," 
which  she  had  given  the  bridegroom. 

The  radiant  Viscountess  was  presented  at  Compiegne  on 
Sunday,  August  i.  She  was  seventeen,  and  her  beauty 
recalled  that  of  the  Duchess  de  Chateauroux,  a  coincidence 
which  allowed  the  newsmongers  to  give  free  play  to  their 
fancy  and  make  up  the  most  preposterous  stories.  The 
favourite  was  sponsor  to  the  young  bride,  and  presented  her 
to  the  King  and  the  Royal  Family.  Mercy  wrote  to  Maria 
Theresa  on  the  I4th  :  ''  In  the  afternoon,  when  the  benedic- 
tion was  over,  the  Countess  Du  Barry,  accompanied  by  the 
Duchess  de  Laval  and  a  Countess  de  Montmorency,  pre- 
sented her  niece  to  the  King,  who  said  not  a  word  to 
the  ladies.  They  next  proceeded  to  the  Dauphine,  who 
received  them  similarly.  There  was  such  a  concourse  of 
1  Vatel,  Vol.  ii.,  p.  260. 


A    FRIGID    RECEPTION  153 

people  come  to  see  the  presentation  that  it  was  scarcely 
possible  to  pass  through  the  antechambers.  The  Dauphine 
received  the  above  ladies  without  the  slightest  sign  of 
embarrassment.  She  saluted  the  favourite,  the  young  bride 
and  then-  companions,  but  addressed  neither  of  them.  The 
same  happened  when  they  came  to  Mesdames ;  only  the 
Count  and  Countess  de  Provence  spoke  at  all  to  the  presented 
lady  and  her  sponsor." 

Nor  did  Marie  Antoinette  speak  to  them  in  the  evening 
at  cards,  when  etiquette  required  that  the  same  ladies  should 
be  present,  and  she  remained  dumb  the  following  day  when 
they  returned  to  pay  their  court.  At  least  her  easy  demean- 
our indicated  some  goodwill,  and  she  was  able  to  write  to 
the  Empress  :  "  My  dearest  mother,  the  presentation  of 
young  Madame  Du  Barry  went  off  very  well.  Just  before 
she  came  I  was  told  that  the  King  had  spoken  neither  to  her 
nor  to  her  aunt,  and  I  followed  his  example.  Otherwise  I 
can  quite  assure  my  dear  mamma  that  I  received  them 
most  politely.  I  am  sure  the  King  was  not  displeased,  for 
he  has  been  very  kind  to  us  all  day." 

There  was  a  coldness  between  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon 
and  the  favourite  and,  what  was  worse,  between  him  and 
Mademoiselle  Chon,  his  real  protector.  To  win  back  then- 
regard  he  tried  once  more  to  fulfil  the  wishes  of  the  Countess, 
and  worked  to  effect  a  reconciliation  between  her  and 
the  Royal  Family.  During  the  stay  at  Compi£gne  he 
succeeded  in  bribing  the  Countess  de  Narbonne,  Mistress 
of  the  Robes  to  Madame  Adelaide,  "  over  whom  she  had 
the  most  undisputed  sway."  But  Mademoiselle  Du  Barry 
had  lost  faith  in  such  risky  proceedings,  and  said  as  much 
in  an  ironical  tone  to  Monsieur  de  Mercy.  The  favourite  said 
nothing  to  him,  which  surprised  and  displeased  him.  As  if 
he  had  a  right  to  her  ladyship's  confidence,  he  wrote  every 
time  she  shunned  him  and  complained  to  the  Empress. 
He  was  neglected  thus  because  the  Countess  was  strong 
enough  to  do  without  his  advice,  and,  as  at  the  moment 
Madame  Adelaide  appeared  disposed  to  yield  to  her  wishes, 
she  gave  all  her  attention  to  the  Princess. 


154  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

At  the  dictation  of  the  Countess  de  Narbonne  the  King's 
eldest  daughter  wrote  to  him  that,  having  heard  "  he  was 
somewhat  dissatisfied  with  the  conduct  of  his  children,  she 
had  at  first  intended  to  beg  him  by  word  of  mouth  graciously 
to  let  them  know  his  desires,  but  that  she  preferred  to  write 
to  him  for  this  favour."  The  King,  she  added,  "  should  not 
doubt  her  obedience,  or  her  desire  to  please  him  in  all ;  she 
was  extremely  anxious  for  opportunities  of  being  with 
him,  and  should  it  please  him  to  increase  the  number  of 
such  opportunities,  she  would  enjoy  them  with  as  much 
ardour  as  pleasure.' '  Louis  XV.  was  grateful  to  his  daughter 
for  her  deference,  and  especially  "  for  having  spared  him  a 
verbal  explanation."  He  replied  that  "  he  was  pained  to 
see  that  the  Dauphin  showed  no  taste  for  society,  and 
exhibited  a  marked  dislike  of  the  fair  sex ;  "  he  desired  that 
Madame  Adelaide  "  should  persuade  him  to  be  more  sociable 
in  his  conduct,  and  win  his  promise  to  treat  the  ladies  who 
were  in  the  constant  society  of  the  King  with  politeness ; 
finally  he  trusted  that  Madame  would  use  the  influence  she 
could  exert  on  the  whole  of  the  family  in  the  furtherance  of 
this  object."1 

Her  attempts  at  influence  were  attended  by  pitiful  results. 
Mesdames  Victoire  and  Sophie,  and  all  her  little  world  of 
nephews  and  nieces,  declared  to  Madame  Adelaide  "that  it  was 
shameful  to  believe  they  wished  her  conduct  to  be  the  price 
paid  for  a  certain  bargain."  The  Princess  was  startled  at 
this  unanimous  revolt,  and  informed  her  Mistress  of  the 
Robes  that  she  must  find  some  one  else  to  negotiate,  for  she 
had  presumed  too  much  on  her  authority.  The  disappointed 
d'Aiguillon  challenged  Madame  de  Narbonne  to  keep  her 
promise,  and  "  arrived  in  a  towering  rage  at  Madame  Du 
Barry's,  swearing  that  he  was  betrayed  on  all  sides." 
But  the  favourite  too  was  learning  to  value  men  by  their 
successes,  and  did  not  deign  to  reply.  "  The  position  of 
the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,"  wrote  Mercy,  "  is  considerably  worse 
He  is  visibly  losing  ground  with  the  favourite,  who  is  again 

1  The  account  is  Mercy's,  the  words  italicised  being  those  actually- 
used  by  the  King. 


D'AIGUILLON    IN    DISFAVOUR  155 

receiving  all  his  enemies.  The  Chancellor  and  some  of  the 
Ministers  have  joined  the  Marshal  de  Soubise,  and  the 
Duke  d'Aiguillon  will  infallibly  be  lost  if  he  does  not  find 
some  means  of  restoring  his  dying  favour  with  Madame  Du 
Barry." 

Though  the  favourite  turned  a  cold  shoulder  on  Monsieur 
d'Aiguillon,  she  did  not  desert  him  altogether,  as  the  Count 
de  Mercy  feared.  The  Empress,  who  had  never  found  reason 
to  be  dissatisfied  with  Choiseul,  called  the  latter  a  great 
man  because  of  the  advantages  she  had  gained  through 
him  ;  his  successor  seemed  to  her  such  a  nonentity  that  she 
hoped  to  profit  just  by  his  insignificance.  But  if  the  Duke 
meant  to  keep  his  position  he  must  needs  avoid  conflict  and 
pursue  his  negative  policy  ;  in  other  words,  he  required 
tact,  intelligence  and  firmness,  qualities  which  the  illustrious 
exile  had  never  been  called  upon  to  display  in  the  winning 
of  his  most  striking  triumphs.  Times  were  difficult,  affairs 
in  a  perilous  state.  The  favourite,  feminine  and  pliable, 
was  the  minister's  one  frail  support  against  the  hatred  of 
his  enemies,  and  the  breaking  loose,  dreaded  by  Voltaire,  of 
"  that  enormous  monster  called  the  public."  In  spite  of 
his  expected  disgrace  nothing  happened  during  the  stay  at 
Compiegne.  Saint  Louis'  day,  August  25,  was,  as  usual, 
celebrated  with  great  pomp,  and  on  the  3Oth  the  Court 
returned  to  Versailles. 

The  Du  Barry  family,  evidently  in  marrying  mood, 
witnessed  yet  another  union,  that  of  the  Chevalier  Nicolas- 
Elie,  Jean's  third  brother,  to  Michele  de  Fumel,  a  rich  and 
noble  heiress.  The  bridegroom,  a  former  pupil  of  the 
Ecole  Militaire,  and  a  Colonel  of  the  Queen's  Regiment,  had 
just  been  nominated  Captain  of  the  Guards  to  the  Count 
d'Artois.  For,  short,  fat  and  ungraceful  as  he  was,  his 
good  conduct  had  won  him  the  esteem  of  all,  even  of  the 
enemies  of  the  mistress.  With  the  Royal  permission  he 
took  the  title  of  Marquis,  which  ran  in  his  wife's  family. 
The  Roue,  as  the  head  of  his  family,  had  the  honour  of  a 
long  audience  of  Louis  XV.,  which  was  much  remarked  on. 
Perhaps  he  spoke  then  to  His  Majesty  of  the  bold  wish  he 


156  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

cherished  of  being  admitted  to  the  "  pious  Order  "  of  the 
Knights  of  Malta,  and  dared  to  beg  that  he  might  be  author- 
ised to  commence  proceedings  for  that  purpose.1  He  was 
indeed  capable  of  any  presumption  in  attempting  to  gain 
his  ends,  and  an  audience  that  appeared  to  interest  the 
monarch  was  an  exceptional  opportunity.  Before  the 
departure  for  Fontainebleau  the  Countess  presented  the 
bride  to  the  Royal  Family.  Her  gift  to  the  bridegroom 
was  a  Sevres  dinner  service,  "  patterned  with  small  roses," 
that  had  been  much  admired  in  the  exhibition  of  the 
factory's  products  at  Versailles. 

This  year,  for  the  last  time,  the  Salon  of  the  Louvre 
boasted  representations  of  the  favourite  on  canvas  and  in 
marble.  Drouais  had  made  Floras  the  fashion  as  Nattier 
had  once  made  Hebes,  and  Madame  Du  Barry  did  not  fail 
to  adopt  the  allegorical  device.  Her  painter  was  not  so  happy 
as  in  his  earlier  works,  and  produced  too  drooping  a  goddess 
for  the  taste  of  the  age.  He  portrayed  her  in  an  elegant 
neglige  that  left  her  bosom  and  pearl-encircled  arms  bare. 
On  her  head,  that  he  made  so  insipid,  was  a  crown  of  roses, 
and  she  wore  an  expression  of  innocence,  the  "  virginal  air  " 
of  Abb6  Georgel's  description. 

But  Madame  Du  Barry  was  pleased  with  this  Flora, 
Drouais'  fifth  portrait  of  her,  and  she  had  several  copies 
made  for  her  friends.  The  painter's  account  for  the  year 
mentions  "  a  copy  of  the  portrait  of  the  Countess  as  Flora, 
retouched  from  nature,  for  the  Marshal  de  Soubise."  In 
1774  four  others,  probably  by  Madame  Drouais,  who  collab- 
orated with  the  artist,  were  given  to  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon, 
Mademoiselle  Du  Barry,  the  Prince  des  Deux-Ponts  and 

1  They  were  begun  at  the  end  of  the  year  and  supported  by  the 
Duke  d'Aiguillon,  who  asked  de  Fleury,  the  Maltese  Ambassador  in 
Paris,  to  assure  the  Grand -Master  that  the  King  not  only  did  not 
disapprove  of  the  favour  being  granted,  but  that  he  would  even  be 
pleased.  De  Fleury  wrote  letters  and  contradicted  them,  spun  out 
the  delicate  transaction  and  played  with  the  Roue's  feverish  ambi- 
tion as  well  as  he  could.  The  death  of  Louis  XV.  was  just  in  time 
to  save  the  Grand-Master  the  difficulty  of  refusing.  The  whole 
story  is  told  by  Monsieur  C.  Espenan  in  the  Revue  de  VHistoire  de 
Versailles,  Vol.  v.,  pp.  308  et  seq. 


THE    KING'S   MELANCHOLY  157 

Madame  de  Montrabe,  and  the  Landgrave  of  Hesse-Cassel 
received  a  "  full-length  portrait  of  the  Countess  "  as  a  Muse. 

Reproductions  of  the  portraits  of  the  favourite  were  seen 
all  over  the  world,  but  in  France  the  most  popular  work 
was  Pajou's  celebrated  bust,  also  exhibited  in  this  year's 
Salon.  This  item  in  the  sculptor's  accounts  is  followed  by 
that  of  "  a  medallion  of  Madame's  portrait  made  for  the 
villa  at  Louveciennes  and  placed  above  a  door."  Lastly, 
some  German  works,  established  in  the  Faubourg  du 
Temple,  made  a  life-sized  porcelain  bust  after  a  model 
by  the  same  master,  and  the  first  copy  was  given  to 
Mademoiselle  Chon. 

During  the  interval  between  Compiegne  and  Fontaine- 
bleau  the  King  tried  to  divert  his  eternal  melancholy  by 
several  short  journeys.  He  spent  a  day  at  Saint-Ouen,  a 
night  at  Louveciennes ;  at  Choisy  he  was  present  at  an 
entertainment  improvised  by  the  Countess,  a  heroic  ballet, 
Zen-is  et  Almasie,  to  which  the  Duke  de  Nivernais  had  com- 
posed the  music,  though  he  denied  having  done  so.  The 
words  were  attributed  to  the  Duke  de  la  Vrilli£re,  but  were 
acknowledged  by  Chamfort,  "  the  sham  Duke  "  as  Made- 
moiselle Arnould  called  him.  Besides  these  noble  collabora- 
tions there  were  only  the  Sieur  Laval's  "  plebeian  "  ballets. 
The  chief  actors  at  the  Opera  undertook  the  performance, 
and  the  audience  was  enchanted  with  the  brilliant  decora- 
tions, and  "  the  melodious  and  lyrical  words."  The  evening 
had  begun  by  La  feinte  par  amour,  a  short  play  by  Dorat,  who 
replied  with  a  madrigal  to  the  compliments  of  Louis  XV. 
and  the  Dauphine. 

Madame  Du  Barry  being  busied  with  the  preparations 
for  the  marriage  of  the  Count  d'Artois,  the  task  of  selecting 
the  repertory  for  Fontainebleau  had  been  left  to  the  Duke  de 
Richelieu.  Papillon  de  La  Ferte  was  in  despair,  for  all  the 
plans  were  changed  from  day  to  day,  there  was  no  gravity 
in  the  meetings,  no  means  of  coming  to  any  agreement 
with  the  actors.  "  He  went  to  fetch  them  sweets  and  oranges 
which  they  snatched  from  one  another's  hands,  "  wrote  the 
discouraged  Master  of  the  Ceremonies. 


158  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Yet  the  favourite  would  not  intervene.  Her  temporary 
preoccupation  was  augmented  by  a  very  natural  fear  of 
future  trouble,  for  the  state  of  the  King's  health  was  by  no 
means  reassuring.  Court  gossip  no  longer  interested  her, 
though  she  protested  against  the  accusation  that  she  was 
responsible  for  the  prolonged  exile  of  the  Countess  de  Gram- 
mont.  She  offered  to  intercede  for  the  lady's  speedy  return 
on  condition  that  the  Dauphine  would  admit  the  Viscountess 
Adolphe  to  her  carriage.  The  latter's  kinship  with  the 
Prince  de  Soubise  allowed  of  making  such  a  claim.  But 
matters  ended  there,  for  the  Dauphine  felt  humiliated  by 
her  small  authority  and  declined  the  favourite's  offer. 
Nevertheless  she  took  the  young  Viscountess  with  her  to  the 
subsequent  hunts. 

On  October  6  the  Court  came  to  Fontainebleau.  While 
still  preparing  for  the  arrival  of  Marie-Therese  of  Savoy,  the 
Countess  occupied  herself  chiefly  with  plays  and  with  the 
chase.  For  the  last  time  this  lithe  Diana  hunted  the  stag 
in  the  Royal  forest.  Saint  Hubert's  day  that  year  was 
remarkable.  The  Princesses  and  the  favourite  rode,  while 
in  the  coaches  that  followed  were  the  Marquise  and  the 
Viscountess  Du  Barry,  Mesdames  de  Mirepoix,  de  Valentinois, 
and  d'Aiguillon,  whom  the  favourite  was  compelled  to 
acknowledge  the  tenderest  of  friends. 

To  please  the  Duchess  her  ladyship  revived  her  interest 
in  the  fate  of  the  minister.  The  latter  had  just  discovered 
a  strange  "  conspiracy,"  which  turned  out  to  be  no  more 
than  "  the  King's  secret  "  half  unravelled.  The  man  at  the 
head  of  His  Majesty's  secret  diplomacy,  the  Count  de  Broglie, 
was  betrayed  by  one  of  his  adherents.  In  order  to  deceive 
public  opinion  the  King  dissimulated  and  exiled  the  Count 
to  his  estate  at  Ruffec,  while  he  imprisoned  his  ordinary 
agents,  Segur,  Favier  and  Du  Mouriez,  in  the  Bastille.  The 
Marquis  de  Monteynard  was  also  compromised,  but  to  the 
surprise  of  the  Ambassadors,  remained  in  the  ministry. 
Mercy  and  Maria  Theresa,  however,  were  kept  informed  by 
disloyal  clerks,  and  knew  that  the  Marquis  maintained  a 
correspondence  with  His  Majesty's  secret  agents.  Soon  the 


A   PRINCESS'S   CHARMS  159 

mystery  was  cleared  up,  and  d'Aiguillon  was  able  to  turn 
it  to  his  own  advantage  in  overthrowing  Monteynard,  whom 
he  succeeded  as  Minister  for  War. 

Madame  Du  Barry  would  not  listen  to  politics  before  the 
wedding  of  the  Count  d'Artois.  She  was  busy  forming  the 
household  of  the  Princess.  Madame  de  Forcalquier  was  to 
be  Lady  of  Honour,  Madame  de  Bairbon-Busset  Mistress  of 
the  Robes,  Monsieur  de  Chabrillan,  the  son-in-law  of 
d'Aiguillon,  Chief  Equerry,  Monsieur  de  Vintimille,  Gentle- 
man Usher,  etc.  Finally,  she  sent  her  brother-in-law,  the 
Marquis  Du  Barry,  to  meet  the  Countess  d'Artois,  and 
included  the  Marquise  among  the  ladies  who  were  to 
accompany  her.  The  jewels  for  the  wedding  presents  were 
provided  by  Aubert,  jeweller  to  the  King,  at  the  instance 
of  the  favourite  ; l  to  her,  too,  the  programme  of  entertain- 
ments was  submitted  and  she  arranged  the  list  of  guests. 

"  On  November  14  the  King  and  the  Royal  Family  met 
the  Countess  d'Artois  two  leagues  from  Fontainebleau. 
This  first  interview  passed  off  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  was 
noteworthy  only  for  the  Count  d'Artois'  eager  enthusiasm 
and  the  satisfaction  he  at  first  displayed  at  the  looks  of  his 
bride."  Mercy  described  the  newcomer  to  his  sovereign  in  no 
flattering  terms.  Yet  the  young  Princess  was  not  without 
attraction  in  spite  of  a  nose  that  was  too  long  and  a  figure 
that  was  too  thin.  She  was  fair  and  had  beautiful  dark 
eyes,  that  now  were  full  of  shy  hesitation.  That  she  was 
received  by  her  sister  without  much  enthusiasm  before  this 
splendid  Court  only  embarrassed  her  the  more. 

Marie  Antoinette  took  the  place  of  "  old  mother  "  at  the 
wedding  festivities.  On  arriving  at  Versailles  the  young 
Princess  was  first  of  all  taken  to  her  toilette.  The  Marshal 
de  Richelieu  handed  her  the  presents  of  His  Majesty,  a 
watch,  a  chatelaine  and  a  snuffbox,  all  set  with  diamonds. 
The  customary  banquet  took  place  after  the  religious 

1  La  Ferte  wrote  on  November  5  :  "I  have  received  from 
Madame  Du  Barry  all  the  jewels  for  the  wedding  presents  which 
she  had  ordered  from  the  Sieur  Aubert.  ...  I  took  them  to 
the  Marshal  who,  quite  rightly,  thought  them  not  at  all  beautiful. 
He  will  speak  of  it  to  Madame  Du  Barry." 


160  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

ceremony  and  the  distribution  of  the  gifts.  "  One  felt  as  if  in 
a  fairy  palace,  such  a  blaze  of  diamonds  was  there,  jewels  of 
wellnigh  incalculable  value.  Only  the  Royal  Family  and 
the  Princes  are  admitted  to  this  banquet,  as  is  well-known. 
The  King  was  in  the  middle,  and  opposite  His  Majesty  was 
Madame  Du  Barry,  radiant  like  the  sun  in  her  five  millions 
worth  of  gems."  All  night  workmen  were  busy  dismantling 
the  banqueting-hall,  and  on  the  Wednesday  a  performance 
of  the  opera  Ismenor  was  given,  a  play  much  approved  by 
the  Countess,  which,  "  although  suitable  to  the  occasion, 
was  not  much  appreciated."  The  favourite  had  thought 
to  pay  court  to  the  young  pah"  by  having  appropriate 
touches  introduced  into  this  work  of  Desfontaines,  but  the 
most  flattering  praises  left  them  quite  unmoved.  Madame 
Du  Barry  applauded,  which  did  not  prevent  the  King  from 
saying  to  the  Countess  d'Artois  at  the  end  of  the  perform- 
ance :  "  My  daughter,  have  you  yawned  very  much  ?  " 

The  State  ball  was  magnificent,  having  been  attended  by 
a  numerous  and  brilliant  Court.  "  Nothing  more  beautiful 
could  be  imagined,"  wrote  Madame  Du  Deffand  to  Walpole  ; 
"  Madame  de  Lauzun  carried  off  the  prize  for  gracefulness, 
for  dress  and  for  the  minuet,  the  Viscountess  Du  Barry  that 
for  beauty  of  face  and  figure.  Her  aunt  [the  favourite] 
has  many  staunch  admirers,  and  most  men  prefer  her  to  the 
niece."  The  queen  of  these  f£tes  was  then  in  the  bloom  of 
her  thirtieth  year,  and  her  blonde  loveliness  had  nothing  to 
fear  from  the  proximity  of  the  youngest  beauties. 

The  festivities  ended  with  a  masked  ball,  at  which  the 
favourite  wore  a  domino  of  white  silk,  trimmed  with  flowers 
and  net.  Then  followed  the  usual  series  of  performances. 
Richelieu  maliciously  scandalised  the  Dauphin  by  his  choice 
of  Monsigny's  Don  Pasquin  d'Avalos,  a  play  full  of  coarse 
buffoonery.  He  wished  to  avenge  the  sufferings  of  the 
audience  who  had  been  made  to  listen  to  the  trivialities  of 
Lulli's  Bellerophon  as  produced  by  the  Sieur  Berton,  director 
of  the  Opera,  a  revival  that  cost  no  less  than  one  hundred 
thousand  ecus.  Voltaire's  last  tragedy,  Les  Lois  de  Minos, 
was  not  performed,  in  spite  of  the  author's  wishes,  nor  was 


THK   COl'NT    1)  ARTOIS,    AFTERWARDS   CHARI.KS   X   OK    FRANCE 


A   TRAGIC   EXPERIENCE  161 

Les  Barmecides,  at  which  La  Harpe  showed  even  more 
surprise  than  anger. 

In  the  midst  of  all  this  merry-making  Louis  XV.  went 
through  the  tragic  experience  of  witnessing  the  death  of  his 
most  faithful  friend,  the  Marquis  de  Chauvelin.  His 
Majesty  was  at  Madame  Du  Barry's  for  supper,  and  among 
the  usual  gathering  of  some  intimate  friends  was  the  Marquis. 
After  his  game  of  whist  Chauvelin  "  had  stood  leaning  over 
the  back  of  the  chair  of  Madame  de  Mirepoix,  who  was  play- 
ing at  another  table.  He  joked  with  the  lady,  but  the 
King,  who  was  opposite  the  Marquis,  noticed  a  sudden 
change  in  his  face,  and  asked  him  if  he  was  well.  That 
very  moment  he  fell  down  dead."  The  King  cried  at  once 
for  "a  priest !  "  and  "  absolution !  "  a  proof  that  the 
thought  of  religion  was  ever  uppermost  in  his  anxious  mind. 
A  priest,  sent  for  in  great  haste,  gave  "  conditional  absolu- 
tion," and  the  King  was  not  to  be  reassured  until  he  heard 
that  the  dying  man's  pulse  still  beat,  and  that  he  had  been 
able  to  receive  the  sacrament. 

M.  de  Chauvelin  was  fifty-seven  at  the  time  of  his  death. 
He  had  used  his  talents  in  the  service  of  diplomacy,  but  for 
long  had  been  satisfied  with  the  reputation  of  being  the  most 
amiable  of  courtiers.  "  Every  one  regrets  his  loss,"  wrote 
Madame  Du  Deffand ;  "he  was  undoubtedly  the  man  to 
pick  out  as  the  representative  of  what  we  mean  by  an  agree- 
able Frenchman."  The  news  of  his  sudden  death  gave 
Choiseul  "  such  a  violent  shock  "  that  the  Duchess,  his  wife, 
took  alarm.  That  Louis  XV.  was  affected  by  the  event  may 
be  imagined,  and  he  would  speak  of  it  to  his  mistress  with  the 
peculiar  bitterness  and  the  insistence  on  details  which  the 
thought  of  death  always  inspired  in  him.  The  favourite, 
too,  lamented  the  loss  of  Chauvelin,  for  he  had  been  a  loyal 
supporter  among  many  who  were  indifferent  or  inimical  to 
her. 

In  spite  of  the  shadow  of  grief  that  hovered  for  a  moment 
over  the  Court,  life  there  pursued  its  feverish  course.  Riche- 
lieu himself  mourned  for  his  beloved  daughter,  the  Countess 
d'Egmont,  and  yet  did  not  give  up  his  official  duties.  In 

M 


162  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

such  a  continual  whirl  and  tumult  of  pleasures,  laughter 
was  so  close  to  tears  that  it  was  impossible  to  retire  for 
meditation.  The  mockery  and  wit  of  Fontainebleau  was  at 
this  moment  being  exercised  on  the  astonishing  union 
between  the  dowager  Duchess  de  Chaulnes,  Lady  in  waiting 
to  the  Dauphine,  and  the  young  Gyac,1  superintendent  of 
the  Household  of  the  Princess.  Of  course  the  libellers 
drew  on  the  worst  scurrilities  in  their  repertory  in  honour 
of  the  occasion,  but  the  old  lady,  being  of  the  opinion  that 
"  to  a  bourgeois  a  Duchess  was  never  more  than  thirty," 
took  very  little  notice  of  them.  The  misalliance,  however, 
displeased  the  King  and  annoyed  Marie  Antoinette  extremely, 
while  the  favourite  was  one  of  the  first  to  cry  out  on  the 
scandal. 

In  the  comparative  peacefulness  of  Versailles  at  the  end  of 
the  year,  Madame  Du  Barry  applied  herself  to  the  final 
organization  of  her  library,  and  had  recourse  to  expert 
advice  for  her  purpose.  Once  when  admiring  the  Duke  de 
la  Valliere's  beautiful  books,  she  had  met  his  librarian,  the 
Abbe  Rive,  one  of  the  most  learned  scholars  of  the  age. 
She  offered  him  work  with  her,  which  he  accepted,  and  the 
advice  he  gave  her  was  undoubtedly  valuable  in  developing 
her  collection  and  directing  her  reading.  The  studies  that 
the  Abbe"  Vermond  expected  of  Marie  Antoinette  were 
less  interesting,  and  certainly  less  seriously  pursued  than 
those  of  the  Countess. 

Madame  Du  Barry  did  not  give  all  her  time  to  reading, 
but  busied  herself  in  occupations  that  were  no  less  dear  to  her 
heart.  New  Year  was  approaching,  and  with  it  the  time 
for  choosing  pretty  and  appropriate  presents.  But  there 
was  not  much  fitness,  thought  some,  in  the  indiscreet  attempt 
of  his  mistress  to  suggest  to  the  King  his  present  to  Madame 
la  Dauphine.  A  Paris  jeweller  was  the  owner  of  a  pair  of 

1  See  Mercy's  report  to  Maria  Theresa  of  November  12.  At  the 
same  time  he  mentions  a  further  conversation  with  Madame  Du  Barry 
on  the  subject  of  the  Dauphine,  and  of  the  dismissal  of  Monsieur  de 
Monteynard  from  the  War  Office.  Although  the  Anecdotes  accuse 
the  favourite  of  some  responsibility  for  this  dismissal,  she  appears 
to  be  entirely  innocent  of  it. 


THE    FAVOURITE'S    INTRUSION  163 

earrings  composed  of  four  brilliants  of  uncommon  size, 
which  were  valued  at  700,000  livres.  Marie  Antoinette 
had  already  begun  to  exhibit  a  great  taste  for  jewellery, 
and  the  favourite  took  it  into  her  head  to  let  the  Princess 
understand  that,  if  she  so  desired,  the  trinket  would  be 
given  her  by  the  King.  The  Count  de  Noailles  undertook  the 
negotiations,  but  the  Dauphine  replied  that  she  was  satisfied 
with  the  jewels  she  already  possessed,  a  lesson  that  the 
favourite  took  to  heart.1  Marie  Antoinette  was  not  ignorant 
of  how  much  she  was  indebted  to  her  ladyship  for  the  kind- 
nesses of  His  Majesty,  but  this  time  her  intervention  had  been 
too  direct.  Yet  Marie  Leczinska  had  often  been  known  to 
accept  gifts  from  Louis  XV.  that  were  suggested  by  Madame 
de  Pompadour. 

This  time  Maria  Theresa  approved  of  the  conduct  of  the 
Dauphine  :  "  My  daughter's  refusal  to  accept  a  gift  through 
the  mediation  of  the  favourite  is  quite  as  it  should  be  ; 
the  point  is  one  on  which  I  am  very  particular,  and  I  do  not 
know  how  to  forgive  the  Empress  of  Russia  for  having 
accepted,  and  even  displayed,  her  subject  Orloff's  gift  of  a 
superb  diamond.  .  .  ."  Yet  the  day  was  to  come  when  a 
Queen  of  France  would  adorn  herself  with  the  white  plume 
of  a  Lauzun. 

Madame  Du  Barry  consoled  herself  for  the  unfortunate 
outcome  of  her  proposal  by  spending  lavishly  on  her  presents 
this  New  Year's  Day.  Many  of  her  gifts  were  Sevres  ware 
chosen  at  the  factory  or  at  the  Versailles  exhibition,  such  as 
"  a  pierced  breakfast  service,"  a  coffee-pot  with  a  floral 
Chinese  pattern,  a  "  Boucher  child,"  goblets  "  with  por- 
traits on  a  gold  ground."  To  His  Majesty  she  gave  "  a 
suit  of  patterned  silver,  with  very  costly  lilac  spangles ; 
the  waistcoat  and  facings  of  coloured  stuff  similarly  em- 
broidered." For  Richelieu,  d'Aiguillon,  the  Marquis  and 
the  Viscount  Du  Barry  she  had  swordknots,  and  to  her 

1  Mercy  adds  the  following  reflection  :  "I  must  observe  that 
the  temptation  was  the  Countess  Du  Barry's  own  device,  for  if  the 
proposed  step  had  been  more  seriously  reflected  on,  or  prompted 
by  advice,  I  should  certainly  have  been  one  of  the  first  to  be 
consulted."  (A  letter  of  January  19,  1774.) 


164  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

dearest  friend  she  gave  an  armchair,  with  an  "  embroidered 
design  in  silk  of  birds  and  a  trap." 

The  Almanack  de  Liege  began  the  year  1774  by  fore- 
telling much  sorrow  "  to  a  great  lady  in  very  high  favour," 
who  was  to  "  play  her  part  for  the  last  time  "  in  April. 
The  Countess  Du  Barry  was  superstitiously  startled  at  the 
prediction,  and  seemed  to  think  she  could  affect  her  fate 
by  having  the  almanac  withdrawn  from  circulation.  Other- 
wise the  year  began  auspiciously  enough.  Wearing  a  charm- 
ing gown  d.  la  d'Artois  she  paid  her  visit  to  the  King  on  the 
morning  of  January  i,  "  accompanied  by  her  two  ladies  of 
honour,  exactly  as  if  she  were  of  the  Royal  Family,"  wrote 
the  Duke  de  Croy,  "  namely,  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  and 
the  Duchess  de  Mazarin."  The  visits  to  the  Royal  Family 
passed  off  uneventfully  and  with  much  serenity  on  both 
sides. 

Then  in  her  turn  she  received  her  friends,  more  numerous 
than  ever,  and  among  the  strangers  of  note  was  young  Fersen, 
who  was  later  so  dear  to  Marie  Antoinette.  He  was  sixteen 
at  this  time,  and  scarcely  took  any  notice  of  the  Dauphine, 
but  he  wrote  in  his  diary  :  "  On  New  Year's  Day  I  was  told 
one  had  to  go  to  Versailles  to  pay  homage  to  the  King,  and 
to  be  present  at  the  ceremony  of  the  Order  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 
At  ten  o'clock  I  was  at  Versailles.  The  ceremony  was  a 
mass  attended  by  the  King  and  all  the  Knights  in  full 
dress.  After  having  dined  I  went  with  the  Baron  de  Creutz 
to  pay  my  respects  to  Madame  Du  Barry  ;  she  spoke  to  me 
for  the  first  time."  To  the  sentimental  youth  she  was 
evidently  no  more  than  the  woman  favoured  by  Europe's 
greatest  King,  the  friend  of  his  own  sovereign  and  the  beauty 
whom  poets  vied  in  celebrating. 

The  literary  almanacs  of  1774  are  full  of  the  name  of  the 
Countess.  The  Almanack  des  Muses  reproduced  Meister's 
dedication  to  her  in  his  translation  of  Gessner,  published  the 
year  before ;  and  the  Almanack  des  Flores  of  the  Sieur  Douin, 
a  Captain  of  Infantry,  was  composed  entirely  in  her  honour. 
The  latter  work  consisted  of  fifty  floral  designs,  together  with 
the  most  surprising  mottoes  and  horoscopes.  The  copy 


FLATTERY    OVERDONE  165 

given  to  the  Countess  contained  a  pen  profile  of  her,1  and 
the  following  rather  unsuccessful  madrigal : 

A  la  plus  belle. 

Je  dormais  ;   le  maitre  des  Dieux 

Me  dit :   "  Je  sais  ce  que  tu  veux  ; 

Choisis  ou  deesse  ou  mortelle, 

Pour  lui  consacrer  tes  couplets." 

Quoi  ?  lui  dis-je,  une  bagatelle  ? 

— Ne  crains  rien,  je  te  le  permets. 

— Je  choisirai  done  la  plus  belle     .     .     . 

Such  lyrical  excesses  could  not  but  offend  the  taste  of  some 
fastidious  people,  who  replied  with  the  Epitre  a  Margot,  mali- 
ciously attributed  to  that  most  gallant  of  poets,  the  honeyed 
and  affected  Dorat.  The  clever  little  poem  was  a  great 
success,  and  every  one  thought  they  recognised  the  favourite 
in  the  shepherdess  with  the  pretty  eyes  : 

Un  seul  de  ses  regards  vaut  mieux 

Que  fortune,  esprit  et  naissance     .     .     . 

Pour  apprendre  qui  doit  me  plaire, 

Irai-je  consul ter  d'Hozier  ? 

Non,  1'aimable  enfant  de  CythSre 

Craint  peu  de  se  mesallier     .     .     . 

Bientot  peut-etre  le  destin 

La  fera  marquise  ou  comtesse. 

Joli  minois,  coeur  libertin 

Sont  bien  des  titres  de  noblesse.     .     .     . 

Dorat  was  disturbed  at  the  trick  played  on  him  and 
vociferously  disclaimed  all  responsibility  for  these  ironical 
compliments.2 

1  The  portrait  was  by  the  Sieur  Chevalier,  Lieutenant  of  In- 
fantry, and  formerly  an  engineer,  who  had  also  drawn  the  fifty  floral 
designs.  In  the  favourite's  copy,  preserved  in  the  Versailles  library, 
these  drawings  are  coloured.  The  little  volume  is  a  gem  of  book- 
binding skill,  probably  that  of  Derosme  ;  it  is  in  red  morocco,  with 
gilt  edges,  and  the  arms  of  the  Countess  and  the  "  boutez  "  on  the 
cover. 

*  "  The  scandal  this  trifle  caused  made  him  think  it  necessary 
to  disclaim  authorship,  so  as  to  escape  the  anger  of  the  powerful 
woman  whom  her  enemies  recognised  in  the  portrait  of  Margot." 
Memoires  secrets,  Vol.  vii.,  p.  132. 


166  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

He  replied  as  follows  to  the  anonymous  writer  : 

Ta  roturiere  Deite, 

Malgre  tes  chants  et  ton  estime, 

Flatte  fort  peu  ma  vanite. 

Jouis  en  paix  de  ta  victoire, 

Heureux  amant,  garde  ton  lot, 

De  grand  creur  je  te  rends  ta  gloire, 

Tes  vers,  ta  muse  et  ta  Margot. 

Thus  he  hoped  to  escape  the  Bastille,  to  which  mode  of 
repression  the  favourite  might  for  once  'have  resorted. 
His  offence,  however,  was  small — it  was  but  the 
witticism  of  a  man  of  letters — compared  with  an  obscene 
publication  that  was  just  coming  out,  entitled :  The  secret 
Memoirs  of  a  woman  of  the  town,  or  an  Essay  on  the  adven- 
tures of  the  Countess  Du  Barry  .  .  .  from  her  cradle  to 
the  bed  of  honour.  The  horror  was  printed  in  London  in 
four  volumes,  and  the  favourite  was  informed  of  its 
publication  by  the  pamphleteer  himself,  Theveneau  de 
Morande.  The  author  cynically  pointed  out  the  means  of 
buying  his  silence  ;  he  demanded  "  5,000  louis  in  cash,  and  a 
4,000  livres  pension  for  himself  to  revert  to  his  wife  and 
son."1  Voltaire  and  Marigny  had  both  recently  suffered 
from  his  abominable  extortion  of  hush-money.  The  Count 
de  Lauraguais  had  got  rid  of  the  wretch  by  giving  him  "  a 
shower  of  blows  with  his  cane,  by  which  means  he  forced 
from  him  a  receipt."  To  Madame  Du  Barry's  complaint, 
which  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  conveyed  to  the  Ambassador, 
His  Britannic  Majesty  replied  that  "  no  opposition  would  be 
made  to  this  monster  being  removed  from  the  kingdom, 
drowned  in  the  Thames  or  smothered  .  .  .  provided 
that  everything  was  carried  out  with  the  greatest  secrecy." 
Monsieur  de  Sartines  sent  a  detachment  of  his  agents  to  Eng- 
land, but  Morande  baffled  the  French  police,  and  was  no  less 
pressing  in  his  demands  on  the  mistress,  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon 
and  the  Chancellor.  Six  million  copies  were  already  said  to 
be  printed,  and  cases  ready  packed  for  sending  to  the  Con- 
tinent. The  French  Ambassadors  at  foreign  Courts  were 

1  Paul  Robiquet,  Theveneau  de  Morande,  p.  37. 


A    SUPPRESSED    BOOK  167 

given  orders  to  prevent  its  circulation,  but  such  commands 
never  resulted  in  much. 

At  the  same  time  a  discreet  and  clever  man  left  for  London 
to  negotiate  the  business.  This  was  Beaumarchais,  the 
author  of  the  Barbier  de  Seville,  who  was  then  more  famous 
for  his  notorious  lawsuit  against  Councillor  Goezman,  which 
he  had  just  lost.  In  London  he  worked  in  concert  with 
Louis'  secret  agent,  the  mysterious  Chevaliere  d'Eon,  in 
reality  a  Chevalier.  Morande  wanted  only  to  be  bribed ; 
the  amount  of  compensation  was  reduced  as  much  as 
possible,1  and  the  volumes  in  existence  were  burnt  in  a 
brick  oven  in  the  country.  The  Duke  d'Aiguillon  would 
have  liked  to  learn  what  people  at  Court  gave  the  pamphleteer 
the  information  through  which  he  was  able  to  collect  certain 
dangerous  particulars,  but  Beaumarchais,  in  a  memorandum 
addressed  to  Louis  XV.,  declared  that  he  refused  "  to  play 
the  infamous  part  of  an  informer." 

All  these  proceedings  on  Madame  Du  Barry's  account 
were  a  proof  "  of  her  assured  position  and  authority,"  wrote 
Mercy  to  Maria  Theresa.  But  "  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
wherever  she  is  concerned  the  King's  blindness  seems  as 
unalterable  as  it  is  deplorable,  the  favourite's  party  is  full 
of  doubts  and  fears  that  the  time  may  come  when  the 
monarch  will  collect  himself  and  commune  with  his  soul." 

The  King  was  growing  old  ;  his  health  had  for  some  time 
been  failing  ;  men  of  his  own  age  were  struck  down  by  death 
almost  under  his  very  eyes  ; 2  all  causes  combined  to  work  on 
his  Bourbon  piety.  The  Carnival  came  to  an  end,  and  the 
annual  agony  of  Lent  began  again  for  the  mistress.  Candle- 
mas Day  opened  with  a  sermon  full  of  inspired  assurance 
from  the  Abbe  Rousseau.  The  severity  of  the  new  Bishop 

1  The  money  paid  was  20,000  livres  in  cash,  and  besides  that  an 
interest  of  4,000  livres.  The  book  must  have  been  exceptionally 
dangerous  to  be  considered  worth  such  a  compensation  ;  Theveneau 
spoke  later,  in  his  Ri-plique  d  Brissot,  of  the  importance  he  attached 
to  it. 

*  After  that  of  Monsieur  de  Chauvelin  occurred  the  sudden 
deaths  of  the  Marshal  d'Armentieres  and  of  the  Abbe  de  La  Ville, 
who  was  struck  with  apoplexy  at  the  King's  levee. 


168  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

of  Senez,  the  Abbe  de  Beauvais,  was  of  another  order. 
Already  in  the  previous  Lent  he  had  astonished  the  Court 
by  the  vigour  of  his  denunciations.  They  hoped  that  a 
bishopric  would  make  him  more  reasonable,  but  not  at  all ; 
he  inveighed  just  as  harshly  against  the  vices  of  his  hearers. 
"  He  preached  an  extraordinary  sermon  on  Maundy  Thurs- 
day before  the  King,  and  thundered  with  flaming  eloquence, 
speaking  truths  that  only  the  sacredness  of  the  place  could 
justify  and  let  pass  unreprimanded."  He  even  went  so 
.  far  as  to  predict  the  approaching  end  of  the  reign  ;  "  Forty 
days,"  he  cried,  "  and  Nineveh  is  no  more." 

The  year  before,  the  King  had  been  satisfied  to  answer 
the  courtiers  who  attacked  the  preacher,  that  the  priest 
"  did  his  duty,"  but  this  time  he  was  deeply  agitated,  and 
spoke  often  of  "  the  fearful  account  that  must  one  day  be 
made  to  the  Supreme  Being  of  the  use  made  of  the  life  He 
has  granted  us  on  this  earth."  The  Countess  felt  with 
anguish  that  her  allies  and  dependants  were  ready  to  betray 
her  at  the  slightest  indication  of  Fortune  turning  against 
her.  She  was  no  longer  herself ;  dissatisfied  with  her 
desertion,  Mercy  wrote  to  Maria  Theresa  on  March  22  : 
"  I  have  recently  had  hints  of  certain  underhand  intrigues 
against  the  favourite.  .  .  .  The  Duke  d'Aiguillon  owes 
everything  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  but  his  demeanour  betrays 
dissatisfaction  with  her.  .  .  .  Besides  she  is  exacting 
and  inconsiderate,  and  all  this  may  lead  to  new  combinations 
and  issues." 

Tortured  at  once  by  religious  scruples  and  the  desires  of 
the  flesh,  Louis  XV.  would  perhaps  sacrifice  his  mistress 
unless  she  could  protect  herself.  But,  wise  in  her  love,  she 
surrounded  the  taciturn  old  man  with  the  tenderest  care. 
She  impressed  herself  on  his  heart  and  mind  and  soul,  and 
made  his  reliance  on  her  constant  love  and  gentleness  a  dear 
and  secret  habit  that  he  could  not  renounce.  She  became 
his  only  adviser,  and  banished  from  his  presence  the 
treachery  of  ministers,  the  snares  of  women.  Above  all 
she  sought  to  amuse  him.  Every  week  they  went  to  Belle- 
vue  and  to  Marly  ;  at  Choisy  she  gave  an  entertainment, 


A    RIVAL  169 

and  since  His  Majesty  would  not  leave  Versailles,  the  actors 
gave  their  performance  in  Madame  Du  Barry's  apartments. 

The  terrible  Easter  fortnight  was  at  last  over  without 
untoward  incident,  and  Louis  had  not  received  the  sacra- 
ment. The  favourite's  spirits  revived,  but  she  did  not 
give  up  her  careful  watch  on  her  surroundings.  For  attempts 
were  being  made  to  give  the  King  a  new  mistress,  and  the 
beautiful  Dutchwoman  who  was  being  prepared  for  the 
part  might  prove  dangerous.1  A  correspondent  of  the 
Prince  Dmitri  Golitzyne,  a  former  Ambassador  in  Paris, 
has  justified  the  fears  of  the  Countess  in  a  curious  letter 
describing  the  last  intrigues  connected  with  the  Royal 
alcove : 

The  Hague,  May  3,  1774. 

My  Prince, — As  changes  in  the  French  Ministry  occur  at 
fairly  regular  intervals  (each  one  being  given  a  reign  of  six 
months  on  an  average,  I  believe),  and  there  have  been  no 
signs  of  such  a  thing  for  some  months,  those  who  know 
think  that  this  unnatural  peace  is  only  apparent,  and  that 
the  ashes  are  still  glowing.  In  a  word,  some  friends  have 
warned  me  that  an  event  may  quite  well  take  place  very 
soon,  which  will  surprise  a  good  many  people.  This  is  no 
less  than  the  dismissal  of  Madame  Du  Barry  on  physician's 
orders.  You  may  think  all  this  a  joke,  my  Prince,  but  I 
assure  you  nothing  could  be  more  true.  The  Royal  Physician 
.  .  .  .  has  declared  that  Madame  Du  Barry  is  too 
young  for  His  Most  Christian  Majesty.  She  will  therefore 
take  the  waters  at  Spa  this  summer,  and  since  a  post  as 
important  as  hers  could  not  possibly  be  left  vacant  for  a 
moment,  it  will  be  given  to  a  somewhat  older  lady  (always 
in  accordance  with  medical  orders,  of  course),  this  lady 
being  Madame  Neuwerkerke,  who  was  so  famous  as  Madame 
Pater.  She  is  an  intimate  friend  of  the  Duke  de  Choiseul, 
who,  one  therefore  concludes,  will  soon  reappear  on  the 
scenes,  while  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  will  be  dismissed ; 
indeed,  he  has  so  far  only  been  supported  by  Madame  Du 
Barry.  All  that  I  have  seen  here  during  the  last  few  days 

1  This  Madame  de  Neuwerkerke  (formerly  Madame  Pater)  is 
referred  to  in  the  Anecdotes,  where  she  is  said  to  have  demanded  a 
secret  marriage  with  the  King  ;  but  who  can  know  exactly  what 
happened  in  these  affairs  ? 


170  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

confirms  me  in  believing  in  the  likelihood  of  this  happening. 
Madame  Pater  is  a  Dutchwoman  whose  fortune  was  dis- 
sipated by  her  husband.  Through  the  Duke  de  Choiseul 
she  enjoyed  a  considerable  pension  in  France,  all  of  which 
she  lost  when  he  fell,  and  last  year  I  saw  her  in  very  reduced 
circumstances.  But  for  about  a  month  she  has  been  spend- 
ing a  considerable  sum  of  money  here,  and  has  arranged 
through  Monsieur  de  Noailles,  the  French  Ambassador,  for 
the  payment  of  some  of  the  debts  of  her  husband,  who  was 
going  to  be  imprisoned,  and  for  the  departure  of  the 
husband  for  India. 

Spring  came,  and  the  King  went  to  spend  a  few  informal 
days  at  his  delightful  new  Trianon  before  undertaking  the 
more  important  journeys.  As  usual,  the  favourite  accom- 
panied him.  On  the  morning  of  April  27  he  felt  unwell, 
but  nevertheless  followed  the  hunt  in  his  coach  in  the 
evening.  On  his  return  he  shut  himself  up  with  Madame 
Du  Barry,  who  tended  him  as  well  as  she  could,  reassuring 
him  all  the  while.  But  the  pain  did  not  cease.  During 
the  night  His  Majesty  sent  for  Lemonnier,  his  Physician 
in  ordinary,  and  asked  that  the  Countess  should  be  called. 
"  But  as  yet  there  seemed  no  foundation  for  the  King's 
anxiety,  and  Lemonnier,  who  was  acquainted  with  his 
natural  tendency  to  be  alarmed  at  nothing,  held  this  anxiety 
to  be  the  effect  of  such  a  tendency  rather  than  the  precursor 
of  a  disease."  Madame  Du  Barry  kept  the  King  by  her 
until  three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  no  one  else  besides 
his  valet-de-chambre  and  Lemonnier  coming  near  him. 
Monsieur  d'Aiguillon  was  of  the  opinion  that  he  should  stay 
at  Trianon  until  the  illness  passed  off,  but  on  the  other  hand 
the  Royal  Family  was  becoming  anxious,  and  La  Martiniere, 
Surgeon  in  ordinary  to  the  King,  ordered  that  he  should 
return  to  Versailles. 

The  malady  grew  worse.  On  the  2Qth  His  Majesty  was 
bled  by  Lemonnier,  who  called  in  three  Paris  physicians 
for  consultation  :  Lassonne,  the  doctor  of  the  Dauphine, 
Bordeu,  who  was  the  favourite's,  and  Lorry,  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon' s.  The  courtiers  came  in  crowds,  and  the 
Officers  of  the  Guard  received  their  orders  by  the  bedside 


"IT   IS   SMALLPOX!"  171 

of  the  King,  who  spoke  in  a  hoarse  voice.  In  the  evening 
he  sent  La  Borde,  his  valet-de-chambre,  for  Madame  Du 
Barry  ;  all  others  went,  leaving  him  alone  with  the  physicians 
and  the  mistress.  Some  hours  later  smallpox  declared 
itself. 

Although  public  malice  had  put  into  circulation  the  most 
obnoxious  anecdotes  about  the  sovereign's  illness,  and  had 
let  it  be  known  in  various  ways  "  that  there  is  nothing  small 
about  the  great,"  His  Majesty  was  dying  of  confluent  small- 
pox. Fearless  of  contagion  and  with  admirable  devotion, 
Mesdames  watched  by  the  bedside  of  their  father  during 
the  daytime,  and  at  night  the  Countess,  no  less  courageous, 
took  their  place. 

The  nature  of  his  illness  was  concealed  from  the  King  for 
fear  that  the  shock  of  knowing  would  kill  him,  but  at  the 
same  time  there  was  much  concern  for  the  welfare  of  his 
soul.  The  Archbishop  of  Paris  was  already  in  attendance, 
having  been  sent  for  by  Mesdames.  Richelieu  had  kept 
him  away  from  the  King,  whose  very  bedchamber  was 
filled  with  the  disputes  and  cries  of  the  two  parties.  The 
Duke  de  Liancourt  has  described  the  state  of  affairs  in  a 
few  embittered  lines,  poisoned  by  his  hatred  of  Louis  XV., 
the  mistress  and  her  supporters.  The  one  side  insisted  on 
confession,  which  was  feared  by  the  other,  for  on  it  depended 
the  dismissal  of  the  favourite.  Lonely  and  suffering,  the 
latter  sometimes  exclaimed  :  "  I  displease  the  whole  family  ; 
may  I  not  go  !  "  And  at  other  times  she  contended  "  that 
the  King's  custom  of  seeing  her  made  her  feel  sure  she  was 
useful." 

On  the  afternoon  of  May  4,  Louis  XV.,  examining  his 
hands,  exclaimed:  "  It  is  smallpox  !  it  is  smallpox  !  "  and 
no  one  had  the  courage  to  reply.  In  the  evening  at  about 
a  quarter  to  twelve,  the  Countess  was  stroking  the  patient's 
wasted  brow  as  he  had  asked,  when  he  said  :  "  Now  that  I 
know  my  condition,  I  cannot  allow  a  repetition  of  the  Metz 
scandal.  If  I  had  known  what  I  know,  you  should  not 
have  been  permitted  to  come.  I  owe  myself  to  God  and 
my  people.  So  to-morrow  you  must  withdraw.  Tell 


172  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

d'Aiguillon  to  come  to  me  to-morrow  at  ten  o'clock."  She 
made  no  murmur  and  rose  to  go,  but  on  the  threshold  of 
the  room  she  fainted.  All  night  she  cried  in  agony.  On 
the  following  day  the  Duke  received  orders  from  the  King 
to  make  arrangements  for  the  departure  of  the  favourite. 
The  carriage  left  at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  taking 
her  with  her  sisters-in-law  and  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  to 
Rueil,  close  to  Louveciennes. 

At  about  six  o'clock,  the  King  said  :  "  Fetch  La  Borde  !  " 
Then,  as  usual,  he  said  :  "  Go  and  find  Madame  Du  Barry  !  " 
La  Borde  answered,  "  Sire,  she  is  gone  !  "  "  Where  is  she 
gone  !  "  "  To  Rueil,  Sire  !  "  "  Ah  !  already  !  "  After 
a  while  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  who  had  taken  all  the  arrange- 
ments on  himself  with  the  Marshal  de  Richelieu,  entered, 
apparently  from  the  interior  of  the  apartment,  and  the  King 
said  :  "  Have  you  been  to  your  chateau  ?  "  He  was 
thinking,  therefore,  only  of  his  mistress,  and  said  nothing 
of  preparing  to  die.  At  Rueil  the  Countess  received  a  crowd 
of  visitors,  who  came  to  reassure  her  as  to  the  condition  of 
the  invalid. 

Only  on  May  7,  the  eighth  day  of  his  illness,  did  he  confess 
to  the  Abbe  Maudoux,  who  had  not  quitted  his  bedside. 
Two  days  later  he  received  extreme  unction.  He  was  laid 
on  a  camp-bed  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  with  the  curtains 
drawn  back,  and  the  light  of  a  number  of  candles  held  by 
priests  kneeling  round  the  bed,  shone  on  him.  The  King 
"  was  motionless,  his  mouth  open,  his  face  neither  deformed 
nor  showing  any  signs  of  agitation,  but  towards  the  end 
swollen  and  copper-coloured  like  a  Moor  or  negro."  The 
Bishop  of  Senlis,  standing  upright,  said  prayers  in  a  loud 
voice,  and  the  chaplain  held  before  the  eyes  of  the  dying 
man  a  large  crucifix,  which  from  time  to  time  he  lowered 
for  him  to  kiss.  All  present  showed  deep  dejection,  more 
from  etiquette  than  from  feeling.  In  the  other  room  the 
ministers  were  disputing. 

Forty  hours''  prayers  were  offered  up  in  all  the  churches. 
The  people  gathered  below  the  windows  of  the  Chateau, 
waiting  for  the  proclamation  of  death.  But  not  until  the 


DEATH    OF   LOUIS    XV  173 

following  day  did  the  agony  begin,  at  eleven  o'clock  in  the 
morning  of  Tuesday,  May  10.  He  was  completely  conscious 
until  the  last  moment.  "  At  one  o'clock,  in  the  death- 
rattle,  he  still  heard  me,"  wrote  the  Abbe  Maudoux  ;  "  the 
physicians  thought  he  had  lost  consciousness ;  I  rose  to 
make  sure,  and  said  to  him :  '  Sire,  does  Your  Majesty 
suffer  much  ?  '  The  rattle  was  interrupted,  and  he  said  : 
'  Ah  !  ah  !  ah  !  terribly  !  '  As  long  as  I  live  I  shall  never 
forget  those  three  Ahs  !  I  pray  to  God  that  I  may  die  as 
he  did."  "  At  a  quarter  past  three  Louis  XV.  was  no  more. 
The  doors  were  flung  open,  and  the  Duke  de  Bouillon,  the 
Lord  Chamberlain,  advanced  to  the  railing  that  partitioned 
the  (Eil-de-Boeuf ,  and  said  :  '  Messieurs,  the  King  is  dead.'  ' 
Away  at  Rueil,  Madame  Du  Barry  wept ;  the  Duchess 
d'Aiguillon,  who  was  compelled  to  leave  her  in  order  to  be 
present  at  a  dinner  given  by  the  Minister  to  the  Ambassadors, 
sobbed  all  the  evening. 

The  nature  of  the  King's  illness  had  made  very  prompt 
funeral  obsequies  necessary,  and  they  took  place  without 
any  ceremony,  in  conformity  with  his  formally  expressed 
desire.  On  May  12,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  hearse 
left  Versailles  for  Saint-Denis,  escorted  by  fifty  Life  Guards, 
and  by  pages,  altogether  three  hundred  horsemen,  bearing 
torches  and  riding  at  a  trot.  The  procession  was  received 
on  its  arrival  at  the  Royal  vault  by  a  hooting  mob.  Those 
who  had  once  given  Louis  XV.  the  name  of  "  The  Well- 
beloved  "  now  shouted  before  his  tomb :  "  Look  at  the 
ladies'  delight !  look  at  their  delight !  "  For,  as  the  Duke 
de  Liancourt  wrote,  "  the  philosophy  of  the  people  had  mfde 
great  progress  during  the  interval." 

The  same  evening,  Madame  Du  Barry,  on  the 
of  a  lettre  de  cachet,  left  Rueil  in  her  carriage  to 
up  as  a  prisoner  of  State  at  the  Abbey  of 


CHAPTER  V 

MADAME  DU  BARRY  AND  THE  ARTS 

Madame  Du  Barry  as  a  Patron  of  the  Arts — The  "  Du  Barry  "  Style 
— Her  Rooms  at  Versailles — The  Furniture — How  the  Favourite 
passed  the  Day — Her  Household — Her  Luxury — Building 
of  the  Villa  at  Louveciennes — The  Bronzes  by  Gouthiere — 
The  Chateau  of  Louveciennes — The  Art  Collections — Purchase 
of  the  Binet  Villa  and  the  building  of  an  H6tel  at  Versailles — The 
Favourite  and  the  Administration  of  the  Privy  Purse. 

LOUIS  XV.  deserved  better  than  the  insults  that 
followed  his  mortal  remains  to  the  grave.     Men 
forgot  his  days  of  glory  and  Maurice  de  Saxe,  his 
diplomatic  triumphs  and  the  Duke  de  Choiseul,  and 
his  last  reforms  inspired  by  Maupeou,  which  to  some  extent 
anticipated  those  of  1848.     The  despotism  of  which  he  was 
so  ferociously  accused  was,  besides,  "  tempered  by  ballads." 
He  was  subjected  to  the  most  lively  attacks  both  in  his 
capacity  as  head  of  the  State,  and  as  a  private  individual. 
No  doubt  the  life  of  this  victim  of  lust  lent  itself  to  scandal ; 
for  long  he  thought  of  nothing  but  the  satisfaction  of  his 
insatiable  desires,  but  even  in  his  debauchery  he  preserved 
the  elegance  of  a  Frenchman  and  a  Bourbon. 

When  the  sufferings  of  Marie  Leczinska,  "  the  good 
Queen,"  ended  with  her  death,  Madame  Du  Barry  appeared, 
closed  the  Parc-aux-Cerfs,  and  for  five  years  her  beauty 
and  affection  were  enough  for  the  Well-Beloved,  who  felt 
himself  growing  old.  That  was  the  time  of  his  life  when 
history  and  libel  have  scourged  him  most.  Yet  his  conduct 
compares  favourably  with  the  moral  excesses  of  other 
sovereigns  of  the  age,  of  the  cynical  and  hateful  Frederick, 
or  of  the  madman,  Ferdinand  VI.,  or  of  great  Catherine, 
debauchee  and  regicide.  Moreover,  whatever  Louis' 
personal  failings  and  the  vices  of  his  reign  may  have  been, 


PATRONS    OF   THE   ARTS  175 

France  still  retained  her  moral  influence  over  Europe  and 
her  great  position  among  the  nations,  while  in  the  world 
of  art  she  was  unrivalled. 

Whatever  criticism  is  allowed  of  the  influence  of  favourites 
on  politics — and  its  importance  is  usually  exaggerated — at 
least  their  influence  on  art  may  be  forgiven,  since  it  never 
was  other  than  beneficial.  Not  that  they  gave  a  particular 
direction  to  the  aesthetic  tendencies  of  their  day,  nor  that 
their  advice  had  any  real  effect  on  true  genius,  but  they 
stimulated  competition  and  encouraged  talent  by  their 
luxurious  fancies,  by  their  demand  for  elaboration  and 
taste  for  beautiful  things,  that  a  monarch's  lavishness 
permitted  them  to  gratify. 

A  whole  world  of  great  artists  came  into  being  through 
the  work  distributed  by  the  little  hands  of  the  Queens,  the 
Royal  mistresses  and  the  great  ladies  of  Paris  and 
Versailles  ;  and  behind  the  bright  constellations  of  masters 
shone  the  more  modest  lights  of  numbers  of  craftsmen, 
children  of  that  vital  French  spirit  which  needs  no  more 
than  happy  environment  to  call  forth  its  genius.  With 
architects,  sculptors  and  painters  worked  goldsmiths, 
jewellers,  cabinet-makers,  decorators,  all  who  finished  and 
perfected  the  dwelling  of  woman,  the  harmonious  setting 
of  her  precious  beauty. 

The  great  lady  carried  refinement  to  an  extreme,  especially 
in  the  everyday  articles  of  her  toilette.  Powder-horns, 
patchboxes,  rouge-pots,  flasks,  glove-cases,  ball-programmes, 
fans,  sweet-dishes,  all  were  of  the  most  exquisite  workman- 
ship, in  which  the  light  and  colour  of  gems  played  on  surfaces 
of  chased  gold,  on  jasper,  ivory  or  enamel,  works  of  art 
indeed,  if  art  is  a  question  of  proportion. 

Moreover  the  divinities  of  these  "  enchanted  Edens " 
were  marvellously  dressed :  panier-dresses  shot  with  gold, 
heavy  diamond  necklaces,  aigrettes,  wreaths,  lace,  all 
meant  a  world  of  work  undertaken  for  each  woman. 
If  they  exacted  homage  and  tribute  from  genius,  in  return 
they  dispensed  honour  and  fortune.  Queens  and  favourites 
were  always  powerful  protectors,  especially  the  latter. 


176  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Madame  de  Pompadour  became  famous  for  it,  and  Madame 
Du  Barry  too,  with  as  much  right,  perhaps,  but  less  pre- 
tentiousness. Besides,  she  enjoyed  only  five  years  of 
power,  while  for  twenty  years  the  Marquise  influenced  the 
proceedings  of  the  Office  of  Works  through  her  uncle, 
Tournehem,  and  her  brother,  Marigny. 

With  the  coming  of  Madame  de  Pompadour  the  "  rococo  " 
style,  wrongly  described  as  pompadour,  died  out.  A  reaction 
towards  purer  line  and  the  rediscovered  beauty  of  the  antique 
was  beginning,  and  the  change  was  completed  during 
Madame  Du  Barry's  time  of  favour.  Architects  showed 
the  way  to  decorators,  who  were  always  slower  to  adopt 
new  theories,  and  the  excavations  at  Herculaneum  seconded 
their  efforts.  "  There  is  a  very  variable  Louis  XV.  style," 
writes  an  art  historian,  "  and  by  analogy  a  Louis  XVI., 
and  even  a  Marie  Antoinette,  style  has  been  created.  One 
is  too  liable  to  forget  that  from  this  point  of  view  the  term 
a  '  Du  Barry  style  '  would  be  far  more  appropriate."  1 

Delightful  Petit-Trianon,  the  model  of  Louis  XVI.  art, 
was  of  Madame  de  Pompadour's  time ;  at  least  the  plans 
were  submitted  to  her  in  1762  by  Gabriel,  though  it  was 
opened  by  Madame  Du  Barry  in  1769.  The  square  chateau, 
with  its  terraced  roof  in  Roman  style,  is  of  a  stern  purity 
of  design  that  sets  off  its  graceful  Corinthian  pillars.  The 
interior  decoration  is  all  on  large  "classical"  lines,  while 
the  gay  French  spirit  has  scattered  on  the  narrow  panels 
a  profusion  of  crowns,  fleurs-de-lys  and  pyramids  of  fruit, 
and  wreaths  of  roses,  poppies  and  ranunculus.  The  King's 
chamber  looked  out  on  the  Botanic  Garden  of  Grand-Trianon, 
where  Claude  Richard  cultivated  his  rare  flowers,  and  Ber- 
nard de  Jussieu  his  exotic  plants.  Louis  XV.  was  fond  of 
gardening,  and  from  his  strawberry-beds  came  the  beautiful 
fruit  that  was  served  at  the  little  supper-parties  in  cups  of 
Sevres  on  tall  silver-gilt  feet.  It  was  the  very  place  for 
spring-time  when  one  would  fain  live  amid  fragrant  breezes 

1  Emile  Molinier,  Le  Mobilier  au  XV  He  et  XV I  He  sticles,  p.  169. 
Molinier  here  makes  use  of  the  theory  supported  by  Monsieur  Pierre 
de  Nolhac  against  the  Goncourts. 


THE   PALACE   OF   VERSAILLES  177 

and  glowing  colours.  Summer  was  spent  in  the  various 
Royal  Palaces,  and  winter  at  Versailles,  the  most  exquisite 
corner  of  whose  Chateau  was  Madame  Du  Barry's  little 
gabled  rooms. 

With  the  growth  of  new  customs  requiring  less  formality 
and  of  the  desire  for  more  comfort  and  intimacy,  many 
changes  were  effected  in  Louis  XV.'s  palace.  Considerable 
repairs  were  undertaken  on  the  coming  of  Marie  Leczinska, 
who  found  the  vast  halls  of  stucco-work  and  marble  too  cold 
and  lofty.  This  was  the  time  when  Verbeckt  decorated  the 
Petits  Cabinets  of  the  King,  the  gallery  and  rooms  that  were 
to  become  the  home  of  the  last  mistress.  The  sculptor 
carved  the  rounded  panels  with  curving  scrolls,  while  J. 
Caffieri  chased  the  gilt  bronze  of  frames  and  brackets. 

When  the  charming  rooms  passed  into  Madame  Du  Barry's 
hands,  she  asked  for  certain  general  alterations  and  for  further 
decorations.  This  work  was  directed  by  the  Marquis  de 
Marigny,  who  had  so  often  performed  similar  services  for  his 
sister,  Madame  de  Pompadour.  Soon  the  colouring  of  the 
old  wainscotting  was  gilded  over,  except  in  the  dining- 
room,  whose  delicate  cream  and  pale  green  made  a  break 
in  the  monotony  of  the  many  narrow  rooms.  The  bed- 
chamber was  exactly  above  that  ol  Louis  XV.  Here, 
on  each  side  of  the  white  marble  fireplace,  was  a  rounded 
panel,  one  of  which  concealed  a  secret  passage  to  the  Royal 
Library.  In  the  suite  of  salons  the  deep  embrasures  of  the 
windows  facing  the  Cour  de  Marbre  were  flooded  with 
gilding.  The  dining-room  looked  out  on  the  Cour  des 
Cerfs,  as  also  the  antechamber,  the  bathroom,  the  wardrobe 
and  several  of  the  servants'  offices.  Adjoining  the  apart- 
ments of  the  Countess  was  the  library  that  had  once  been 
Madame  Adelaide's.1 

On  her  return  from  Fontainebleau  in  1770,  the  favourite 
was  able  to  take  possession  of  her  fascinating  abode,  to 
which  a  new  bathroom  had  been  added,  decorated  with 
bronzes  by  Gobert  and  carvings  by  Rousseau.  In  the  suite 

1  See  P.  de  Nolhac,  Le  Chateau  de   Versailles  sous  Louis  XV. , 
which  contains  an  unpublished  plan  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  rooms. 

N 


178  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

of  rooms  the  new  furniture  harmonised  well  enough  with  the 
older  panels,  whose  "  rococo  "  style  was  not  too  riotous. 

In  the  bedchamber,  whose  every  detail  was  of  an  extra- 
ordinary elaboration,  was  a  bed  with  four  pillars,  like  the 
alcove  which  the  favourite  had  desired,  only  the  work  had 
been  too  complicated  to  carry  out.  It  seemed  entirely  made 
of  precious  metal,  so  well  had  the  delicately-moulded  wood- 
work been  covered  with  gilt.  The  sculptor  and  Madame 
Du  Barry  herself  had  designed  its  straight  lines ;  it  was 
carved  by  Lanoix  and  gilded  by  Cagny.  The  little  fluted 
columns  reaching  up  to  the  canopy  were  wreathed  with 
garlands  of  myrtle  and  laurel,  and  at  the  top  festooned  with 
roses  ;  their  pearl-encircled  capitals  were  formed  of  acanthus 
leaves.  On  the  surfaces  of  the  two  head-boards  "  two 
birds  billing  together "  among  flowers  were  represented. 
Around  the  canopy  and  entwining  medallions  ran  wreaths  of 
myrtle  and  roses,  the  "  device  "  of  the  Countess  found  on 
all  her  artistic  possessions.  On  the  step  was  thrown  a  white 
carpet  of  figured  Chinese  silk,  and  a  "  white  silk  stuff," 
embroidered  with  roses,  was  used  to  drape  the  canopy,  to 
curtain  the  windows  and  to  cover  the  bed  and  the  thirteen 
chairs,  of  which  "  one  large  one  was  for  the  King." 

The  chest-of-drawers  of  white  satinwood  was  ornamented 
with  five  pictures  in  porcelain,  three  scenes  after  Watteau, 
and  Comedy  and  Tragedy  after  Vanloo,  all  "  most  richly 
adorned  with  very  finely  finished  bronze,  and  gilded  with 
dull  gold."  Upon  it  stood  a  large  blue  bowl  with  gold  rock- 
work  "  and  miniature  figures  by  Teniers,  as  well  as  two 
smaller  ones  similarly  decorated."  The  writing-table, 
again,  was  a  triumph  of  French  porcelain  with  its  "  flowers 
on  a  green  ground."  On  the  mantelpiece  a  gold  clock  by 
Germain  represented  the  three  Graces  supporting  a  vase, 
on  which  turned  a  dial,  while  a  Cupid's  arrow,  the  symbol  of 
the  period,  indicated  that  in  these  rooms  it  was  always  time 
to  love. 

As  a  rule  Madame  Du  Barry's  day  did  not  begin  until  nine 
o'clock,  when  the  gilded  shutters  were  thrown  open,  waking 
the  fair  sleeper  surrounded  by  the  lace  of  her  sheets  and 


MADAME    DL"    BAKRV 
From  a  painting  by  Gauthicr-Dagotv 


MY    LADY'S    TOILET  179 

pillows.  Her  women  then  entered  and  wrapped  her  in  her 
dressing-gown  to  conduct  her  to  her  bath.  While  in  the 
perfumed  water  she  would  listen  to  her  morning's  post  of 
petitions,  notes  from  tradesmen,  entreaties  for  help,  business 
communications,  letters  from  friends,  and  so  forth.  Back  in 
her  room,  she  put  on  her  silk  petticoats,  and  a  morning-gown 
of  Brussels  lace,  open  at  the  neck  and  generously  trimmed 
with  ribbons,  and  Zamore  served  her  with  coffee  in  a  silver 
cup. 

Very  soon  after,  with  her  hair  still  in  a  knot  on  the  nape 
of  her  neck,  she  seated  herself  before  the  toilet-table,  which 
the  chambermaids  had  drawn  forward  so  as  to  be  in  full 
daylight.  The  table  itself  was  draped  in  white  muslin ; 
the  golden  mirror,  chased  by  Roettiers  de  la  Tour,  was 
ornamented  by  an  earl's  coronet  with  two  doves  perched  on 
sprays  of  myrtle  and  roses.  Then  began  the  procession  of 
dealers,  who  had  been  waiting  in  the  antechambers.  Every 
day  they  brought  some  novelty,  in  which  the  imagination  of 
their  artistic  craftsmen  sought  to  surpass  its  previous  achieve- 
ment. 

First  of  all  came  the  Crown  jewellers.  The  favourite  was 
passionately  fond  of  pearls,  brilliants  and  gems  of  all  kinds, 
with  which  she  loved  to  adorn  herself,  but  which  she  also 
collected  in  her  caskets,  that  were  marvels  in  themselves. 
Boehmer,1  who  was  later  involved  in  the  intrigue  of  the 
Queen's  necklace ;  Rouen,  who  was  one  of  the  witnesses  in  the 
case  of  the  theft  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  diamonds ;  Lecomte, 
Aubert,2  Demay,  Leblanc,  Straz,  all  brought  emerald  neck- 
laces, pearl  bracelets,  sets  of  rubies,  magnificent  diamonds, 
innumerable  rings,  engraved  stones,  cameos  and  intaglios, 
pendants,  clusters  of  diamonds,  pearl-embroidered  slippers. 
To  read  the  list  of  gems  this  woman  owned  is  as  dazzling  as 
it  is  fatiguing. 

Next  to  jewels,  the  greatest  expenditure  of  the  Countess  was 
on  dresses,  hoop  petticoats,  full  dress  costumes,  cloaks,  gowns 

xThe  account  of  "Bohmer  of  Paris,  dealer  in  diamonds," 
amounted  to  888,632  livres  for  the  period  from  October  8,  1770,  up 
to  and  including  February  9,  1772. 

*  Aubert's  account  for  two  years  amounted  to  544,949  livres. 


i8o  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

of  velvet  or  cloth-of-gold,  and  the  like.  Mesdames  Sigly 
and  Pagelle  were  her  dressmakers  before  the  celebrated 
Bertin  appeared.  Buffault  and  Le  Normand  provided  the 
materials,  Gruel  and  Vanot  brought  blond  lace,  braid  and 
pompoms,  while  she  obtained  Valenciennes  and  Venetian 
lace  and  embroidery  from  Davaux  and  Tripperet.  Several 
workshops  were  employed  in  making  her  skirts,  her  mantles, 
her  fine  linen  and  muslin  wear. 

In  the  art  of  dress  above  all,  Madame  Du  Barry  gave 
supreme  expression  to  her  taste,  to  every  ingenuity  that  her 
coquetry  could  devise.  She  inspired  fashion,  and  imposed  on 
it  all  her  delightful  whims.  The  doll  that  was  sent  every 
month  to  initiate  Europe  in  Parisian  modes  always  wore 
Madame  Du  Barry's  latest  creation.  No  one  had  ever 
dressed  so  well  before,  and  she  excelled  all  who  came  after 
her.  At  the  wedding  of  the  Count  d'Artois,  for  instance,  she 
wore  a  beautiful  dress,  whose  every  detail  she  had  thought 
out  herself.  It  was  of  "  white  satin  shot  with  silver,  over 
which  was  silver  net,  embroidered  with  rose  and  green 
spangles  "  ;  on  the  flounces  were  knots  of  myrtle,  the  corsage 
was  embroidered  with  little  roses,  as  also  all  the  trimmings.1 
This  marvellous  creation  was  enhanced  by  the  splendour  of 
jewellery,  from  the  diadem  of  opals  on  her  head  to  the  little 
gold  slippers  starred  with  diamonds  on  her  feet. 

For  great  occasions  Nokelle  was  the  favourite's  hair- 
dresser, but  on  ordinary  days  Berline  came  with  the 
perfumer,  Vigier.  As  time  went  on,  courtiers  arrived  and 
gathered  around  the  be-ribboned  table,  from  which  nimble 
waiting-women  had  removed  the  ewer  and  basin  of  gold- 

1  From  the  innumerable  descriptions  of  garments  to  be  found  in 
her  accounts  or  the  merchants'  bills,  we  quote  the  following  : 

(1772)  "  A  complete  dress  with  white  satin  corsage  on  which  a 
design  of  rose-wreaths,  gold-spangled  ribbons  tying  blue  bouquets, 
all  embroidered  in  silk,  worked  in  pleats."  A  hoop-petticoat, 
"  .  .  .  silver  foundation  with  a  broad  gold  stripe,  embroidered 
in  fine  gold  thread,  wreaths  of  flowers  and  carnations,  little  ribbons 
with  shaded  gold  spangles,  very  rich."  (1773)  "  A  full  dress  costume 
of  white  velvet,  the  corsage  embroidered  with  large  and  small  spangles, 
shaded  in  various  colours  ;  further  a  very  fine  trimming  for  the  edge 
of  the  skirt  and  train,  all  to  match  and  very  rich." 


NATURE   AND   ART  181 

mounted  crystal.  The  Countess  replied  to  compliments  and 
jokes,  listened  to  stories,  laughed  her  pretty  childish  laugh, 
and  powdered  her  face  all  the  while  her  beautiful  hah-  was 
being  piled  high  on  her  dainty  head.  Then  with  a  little 
golden  knife  she  carefully  removed  the  powder ;  with  the 
tip  of  her  finger  she  took  pomade  from  a  china  pot  and 
"  daubed  "  her  face,  and  her  cheeks  grew  pink  and  animated 
from  the  contents  of  six  other  little  pots  before  her.1  Small 
gold  cases,  snapped  to  with  a  diamond,  contained  blue  for 
her  veins,  black  for  eyebrows  and  lashes,  carmine  for  her 
lips  and  rose-pink  for  her  nails.  When  the  King  entered,  the 
atmosphere  was  laden  with  the  mingled  perfumes  of  opened 
flasks.  Gradually  the  courtiers  withdrew  ;  the  first  waiting- 
woman  dressed  her  Ladyship  in  a  robe  sur  la  consideration, 
for  after  dinner  she  often  went  for  a  drive  or  paid  her  visits. 

The  household  of  the  Countess  was  very  large  ;  the  full 
dress  livery  was  scarlet  and  gold,  with  knee-breeches  and 
gold  garters,  the  undress  livery  chamois  and  silver  with 
silver  garters.  The  two  coachmen,  the  outriders,  the  three 
postilions,  and  the  running  footman  wore  a  uniform  of  sky- 
blue  cloth  with  silver  braid.2  The  bearers  of  her  beautiful 
sedan  chairs  wore  scarlet  and  silver  ;  a  blue  and  silver  livery 
was  worn  by  the  grooms,  the  stewards,  the  butler,  the  cooks, 
the  night  attendants,  the  porter  and  the  gardeners.  When 
Madame  Du  Barry  stepped  out  of  her  chair  to  walk  in  the 
park,  Zamore  lifted  the  train  of  her  dress  and  handed  her  an 
open  parasol.  The  black  child,  of  whom  she  was  so  fond, 
usually  wore  his  hussar  costume  of  "  fluted  rose-colour 
trimmed  with  silver,"  or  the  one  of  "  flesh-coloured  "  silk, 
or  white  taffetas  ;  in  his  gold-embroidered  girdle  was  stuck 

1  See  Fersen's  diary  in  Le  comte  de  Fersen  et  la  Cour  de  France,  by 
Baron  Klinckowstrom,  Vol.  i.,  p.  xv. 

1  Mademoiselle  de  Constant,  when  visiting  Versailles  in  February, 
1773,  saw  Madame  Du  Barry's  carriage  in  the  Place  d'Armes,  and 
described  it  in  a  letter  :  "  She  is  extremely  pretty ;  she  wore  a 
riding-habit  open  in  front.  Her  coach  is  most  elegant,  blue  with 
silver  mouldings  and  fine  paintings.  Her  lackeys  wear  blue,  braided 
with  silver.  Her  six  horses  were  lively  and  full  of  mettle  ;  they 
were  bays,  and  the  bridles,  harness,  etc.,  blue  and  silver."  Lucie 
Achard,  Rosalie  de  Constant,  sa  famille  et  ses  amis,  p.  61. 


182  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

a  little  sword  with  a  carved  hilt.  Sometimes  she  dressed 
him  up  so  that  he  seemed  all  ribbons,  spangles,  pearls  and 
lace  ;  she  covered  him  with  jewels,  earrings,  bracelets  and 
necklaces,  as  if  he  were  an  idol. 

At  first  Madame  Du  Barry's  stables  were  at  the  hotel 
de  Luynes,  where  she  also  housed  her  domestics.  The  out- 
riders Delorme  and  Duplessis  bought  her  horses  in  London. 
La  Vallee  painted  her  coaches  and  sedan  chairs,  covering  their 
decorative  narrow  panels  with  pastoral  landscapes  or  scenes 
galantes.  Among  her  carriages  there  was  a  vis-A-vis  of  such 
perfection  that  the  favourite  seldom  used  it ;  she  kept  it  as 
a  precious  work  of  art.  It  may  be  that  the  King,  being 
jealous  of  this  gift  of  d'Aiguillon,  had  forbidden  her  to  use  it, 
but  it  is  not  certain  that  it  really  was  a  present  from  the 
Duke.  The  masterpiece  was  in  such  accordance  with  her 
taste  that  it  seems  probable  she  herself  invented  every  minute 
detail.  Of  the  four  gilded  panels,  two  were  painted  with 
crowns  of  roses,  over  "  two  doves  billing  together."  The 
others  each  bore  a  heart  pierced  by  an  arrow,  above  a  quiver 
and  torches.  "  These  emblems  were  surmounted  by  a 
wreath  of  budding  flowers,  the  most  beautiful  thing  imagin- 
able. .  .  .  The  coachman's  seat,  the  lackeys'  stand 
behind,  the  wheels,  the  stocks,  the  steps,  were  all  of  such 
finished  refinement  in  every  detail  that  one  could  not  tire  of 
admiring  it.  .  .  ."1  Below  the  coats-of-arms,  the  Boutez 
was  inscribed. 

The  Countess  used  to  return  soon  from  her  outings,  for 
in  her  absence  the  King  wearied.  She  changed  her  attire, 
to  receive  her  circle  of  friends  in  the  salon,  whose  two  large 
sofas,  eighteen  chairs  and  one  for  the  King,  had  been  designed 
by  Guichard  and  gilded  by  Cagny.  The  back  and  the  arms 
were  carved  with  trophies  of  love  and  with  attributes  of  the 
chase,  of  fishing  and  of  music,  all  entwined  in  jasmine  and 
roses  knotted  with  ribbons,  while  on  the  pale  silk  stuff  were 
embroidered  in  more  vivid  colours  a  whole  mass  of  "  shaded" 
coronets. 

1  The  writer  of  the  Memoires  secrets  seems  to  have  inspected  the 
carriage  very  thoroughly. 


LEARNING   IN    LUXURY  183 

The  favourite  loved  music  ;  Clicot  had  built  for  her  an 
English  pianoforte,  with  flutes  and  galoubet,  a  movement 
for  the  lute,  and  two  for  cymbals  :  the  case  which  was  made 
to  contain  the  pipes  and  bellows  was  "  of  rosewood,  inlaid 
with  blue  and  white  mosaic,  and  very  richly  ornamented 
with  dull  gilt  bronze."  Sometimes  a  narrow  harpsichord 
was  drawn  into  the  salon,  but  the  favourite  instrument  of 
the  Countess  was  the  harp,  and  she  took  diligent  lessons  of 
the  master  harpist,  Hochbrucker. 

Against  one  wall  of  this  salon  stood  "  a  superb  chest-of- 
drawers  of  the  finest  quality  of  old  lacquerwork,  a  relief  of 
richly-dressed  monkeys  on  the  middle  panel,  the  friezes 
plated  with  ebony,  the  ornaments  of  chased  bronze  gilded 
with  dull  gold,  the  top  of  white  marble.  By  the  opposite 
wall  was  another  chest-of-drawers  ornamented  with  six  plates 
of  Sevres  porcelain  of  a  flower  and  gold  thread  pattern." 
On  the  chests  stood  two  bronze  groups,  The  Abduction  of 
Helen,  and  a  Bacchanalian  set  of  figures,  by  Sarrazin. 

Below  the  large  rock-crystal  lustre  in  the  middle  of  the 
room  was  a  round  table  entirely  covered  with  Sevres  porce- 
lain, the  centre  picture  of  which  represented  a  miniature  by 
Leprince.  This  table,  which  still  exists,  is  "  the  boldest 
and  most  perfect  work  of  art  ever  produced"  in  porcelain. 
Pictures  beloved  by  the  age,  adorned  the  walls,  in  beautifully 
carved  frames.  Rosy  mountains,  blue  landscapes  and  my- 
thological portraits  were  repeated  in  the  large  mirrors,  then 
newly  introduced,  that  replaced  the  former  thick  and  heavy 
pier-glasses. 

Tea  was  served  on  pedestals  of  silver  and  bronze  with 
porcelain  tops,  and  in  the  meanwhile  conversations  were 
carried  on,  that  touched  lightly  and  gaily  on  all  subjects, 
even  the  driest.  Scientific  discussions  were  the  fashion, 
and  one  day  when  there  was  some  question  as  to  the  medical 
effects  of  mercury,  the  Countess  showed  great  eagerness  to 
learn.  "  What  a  good  thing  she  has  her  mercurial  inno- 
cence !  "  was  the  biting  remark  of  Madame  de  Luxembourg, 
who  heard  of  everything. 

When  the  King  left  for  the  Council  meeting,  Madame  Du 


184  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Barry  gave  her  private  audiences.  Then  she  spent  much 
time  on  her  evening  toilet,  and  if  after  supper  no  play  was 
being  performed,  Louis  XV.  often  came  to  her  rooms  for  his 
game  of  cards.  They  usually  played  in  a  second  salon, 
whose  furnishing  was  even  more  in  harmony  with  the  new 
style.  On  the  mantelpiece  was  "  a  bronze  ormolu  clock  in 
the  form  of  a  vase  and  a  serpent,  with  a  turning  dial,  the  foot 
ornamented  with  three  plates  of  porcelain  on  which  were 
painted  children  on  a  blue  ground,  the  forked  tongue  of  the 
serpent  being  of  marcassite."  The  tiers  of  one  small  table 
were  inlaid  with  Sevres,  "  a  floral  design  on  a  green  ground," 
on  which  were  placed  gold-mounted  writing  requisites. 
On  the  etageres  were  valuable  caskets  ;  a  little  chest  of  old 
lacquerwork  with  gold  and  venturine  reliefs  of  "  landscapes 
and  monkeys  "  on  a  black  ground ;  a  box  of  sandalwood, 
containing  the  tea-set  of  crystal  and  gold,  bought  at  Madame 
de  Lauraguais'  sale.  Especially  noteworthy  were  "  a 
barometer  and  thermometer  by  Passemant,  very  richly 
mounted  in  bronze  ormolu,  ornamented  with  three  tiles  of 
Sevres,  painted  with  miniature  groups  of  children." 

An  ivory  backgammon  board  was  "  mounted  on  an 
inlaid  rosewood  table,  ornamented  with  gilt  bronze."  The 
large  card-box,  lined  with  gold-laced  blue  taffetas,  contained 
"  four  ivory  quadrille  boxes  with  the  hearts,  diamonds, 
clubs  and  spades  inlaid  in  gold  on  each  of  the  said  boxes, 
and  surrounded  by  a  wreath  with  a  knot  of  ribbons,  also 
inlaid  in  gold ;  the  twenty-four  markers  and  the  twenty 
counters  marked  also  in  gold  with  the  hearts,  diamonds, 
clubs  and  spades."  The  tables  were  of  rosewood,  covered 
with  green  velvet,  "  one  for  vingt-un  with  five  sides,  an- 
other for  tri,  four  for  piquet,  and  one  long  one  of  walnut- 
wood  covered  with  green  cloth,  with  a  rosewood  set." 

The  Royal  card-parties  at  the  favourite's  usually  included 
the  Dukes  de  Duras,  de  La  Valliere,  de  Laval  and  de  Coss6, 
the  Princes  d'He"nin  and  de  Soubise,  the  Count  de  Broglie, 
the  Marquis  d'Entragues  ;  and  among  the  women  there 
were  Madame  de  Mirepoix,  that  inveterate  gambler,  and 
Mesdames  de  Talmont,  de  Valentinois,  d'Aiguillon  and  de 


A   WELL-CHOSEN    LIBRARY  185 

Montmorency.  Madame  Du  Barry's  gaming  debts  are 
entered  in  her  accounts,  and  give  some  idea  of  the  high  play 
indulged  in  ;  but  she  lived  at  a  time  when  cards  and  counters 
were  all  the  rage. 

In  spite  of  her  numerous  activities,  the  favourite  yet 
found  time  to  keep  in  touch  with  literary  matters.  She 
was  fond  of  reading,  much  more  so  than  those  indifferent 
book-lovers,  Mesdames  de  France  and  Marie  Antoinette. 
Her  elegantly  bound  volumes  were  collected  behind  the 
glass  doors  of  the  bookcases  in  the  library.  This  room  was 
furnished  with  six  gilded  oval  armchairs  carved  with  myrtle 
and  roses,  and  in  a  recess  was  a  couch  above  which  a  long 
looking-glass  was  let  into  the  woodwork. 

Among  the  many  volumes  that  have  been  preserved,1 
a  certain  number,  bound  in  red  morocco  and  with  gilt 
edges,  have  the  arms  and  motto  of  the  Du  Barrys  on  the 
cover ;  some  are  calf  with  the  arms  stamped  on  the  back  ; 
others  again  are  in  green  morocco  and  more  delicately 
tooled,  but  none  so  beautifully  as  the  marvellous  Chanson- 
nier  with  its  lace-like  gilding.  The  Countess  used  to  devote 
her  more  peaceful  days  to  the  study  of  history,  on  which 
subject  she  possessed  many  books.  She  also  owned  copies 
of  the  Iliad,  the  Metamorphoses  and  the  Golden  Ass,  the 
works  of  Marot,  Villon  and  Montaigne,  the  Pensees  of  Pascal, 
not  to  speak  of  editions  of  the  minor  poets  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  illustrated  by  Eisen,  Gravelot  or  the  younger 
Moreau.  Then  there  were  the  works  of  Montesquieu,  Vol- 
taire and  Rousseau.  Novels  with  licentious  engravings 
and  Locke's  Essay  on  the  Human  Understanding  stood  side 
by  side,  and  a  little  further  along  the  row  could  be  read  the 
title  :  Vegetable  rouge  for  the  use  of  ladies. 

Such  was  the  favourite's  abode  in  pompous  Versailles, 
where  some  ceremony  was  assigned  to  every  hour.  But 
Madame  Du  Barry  wanted  a  dwelling  after  her  own  fancy, 
which  she  herself  would  design,  whose  details  she  would 

1  The  Versailles  Library  owns  349  books  that  belonged  to  Madame 
Du  Barry  ;  others  are  in  the  Petit-Palais  Museum,  in  the  library  of 
the  Ecole  Saint-Cyr,  and  in  private  collections. 


186  'A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

conceive  and  inspire,  a  "  folly  "  whose  creation  would  give 
full  scope  to  the  exercise  of  her  imagination  and  her 
capricious  originality.  And  when  Louis  XV.  gave  her  for 
life  the  little  chateau  of  Louveciennes,  she  at  once  had  the 
white  villa  built  in  its  gardens. 

Its  harmonious  classical  lines,  like  those  of  a  Roman 
temple,  rose  above  the  terrace  looking  out  on  the  Seine. 
The  architect  Ledoux  had  been  entrusted  with  the  delicate 
work.  The  villa,  which  was  square  and  of  a  height  of  twenty- 
five  feet,  had  five  windows  in  front  and  three  on  either  side. 
The  ground-floor  was  constructed  ol  Saint-Leu  stone,  above 
which  was  a  terrace  surrounded  by  a  balustrade.  Eight 
steps  led  up  to  a  portico  supported  by  four  fluted  Ionic 
pillars,  of  which  two  were  set  in  the  wall.  The  peristyle 
was  covered  by  a  cupola,  very  finely  worked  inside.  An 
admirable  bas-relief  by  Lecomte  ornamented  the  pediment, 
representing  a  paganly  graceful  Bacchanalian  scene  of  a 
semi-circular  group  of  children,  playing  with  a  goat  amidst 
showers  of  roses. 

Building  was  begun  in  December,  1770,  and  the  villa  was 
completed  by  January,  1772.  The  interior  was  divided  into 
three  salons  and  a  vestibule  attached  to  the  dining-room. 
Every  room  of  the  little  villa  was  decorated  with  the  inter- 
twining laurel,  myrtle  and  roses  of  the  chaser,  Jacques 
Gouthiere's  bronzes.  Their  elegant  affectation  afforded  an 
example  of  the  high-water  mark  reached  by  the  decorative 
arts  of  the  age  ;  from  the  lock  of  a  door  to  the  jamb  of  a 
mantelpiece,  all  was  a  marvel  of  taste,  of  exquisite  design 
and  of  perfect  execution.1 

The  walls  of  the  dining-room  were  faced  with  Lesbian 

1  Most  of  the  Louveciennes  bronzes  were  destroyed  during  the 
Revolution,  but  Gouthiere's  account  gives  a  minutely  detailed 
description  of  all  the  decoration.  After  having  worked  for  the 
Countess  the  artist  was  employed  by  the  Duke  d'Aumont,  and  many 
of  the  things  he  made  are  now  in  public  or  private  collections. 
In  the  Louvre  there  is  "  a  set  of  fire-irons  in  gilt  bronze,  stag,  boar 
and  attributes  of  chase,"  and  another  in  the  shape  of  "  a  perfuming- 
pot  and  a  pineapple,"  said  to  have  belonged  to  Madame  Du  Barry. 
The  Musee  des  Arts  owns  a  door-knob  with  the  monogram  of  the 
Countess. 


LOUVECIENNES  187 

marble.  Large  mirrors  were  framed  by  pilasters,  whose 
bronze  and  gold  Corinthian  capitals  broke  the  frieze  of  play- 
ing children  that  surrounded  a  ceiling  by  Boucher.1  In  the 
gilded  caissons  were  the  united  arms  of  the  Du  Barrys  and 
Jeanne  de  Vaubernier,  while  over  the  door  was  the  portrait 
of  Louis  XV.,  wearing  the  ribbon  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

On  the  subject  of  the  border  for  this  portrait,  which  the 
King  gave  his  mistress,  Monsieur  de  Marigny,  knowing  her 
exacting  demands,  wrote  to  Pierre  :  "I  am  delighted  that 
the  Sieur  Buteux  has  had  the  courage  to  execute  the  border 
for  Madame  Du  Barry's  portrait  of  His  Majesty.  As  for  the 
inscription,  I  hardly  think  it  could  be  other  than  this : 
'  Given  by  His  Majesty  to  Madame  la  Comtesse  Du  Barry 
in  1770.'  But  if  Madame  Du  Barry  should  demand  some 
slight  change  in  the  form  of  this  inscription,  Buteux  would 
have  to  take  her  orders,  and  act  accordingly."  And  the 
Sieur  Buteux  repented  many  a  time  of  his  courage. 

The  character  of  the  style  known  as  Louis  XVI.  is  summed 
up  in  the  work  of  Gouthiere,  who  conceived  his  most  perfect 
masterpieces  for  the  favourite.2  He  showed  his  designs  to 
the  Countess,  who  enjoyed  going  over  them  and  afterwards 
criticising  the  various  wax  models  and  sand  or  plaster  moulds. 
The  artist's  bills  tell  of  fire-irons  in  the  vestibule  that 
matched  the  frieze  running  round  the  walls,  of  myrtle 
designs  in  the  corners  of  the  door,  and  of  four  small  lustres 
of  crystal  and  bronze  placed  before  the  mirrors.  Golden 
torches  held  by  four  female  figures,  by  Pajou  and  Lecomte, 
also  illuminated  the  room. 

There  is  a  water-colour  in  the  Louvre,  by  the  younger 
Moreau,  depicting  with  sparkling  cleverness  a  supper-party 
at  Louveciennes.  The  composition  of  this  delightful  sketch 

1  This  Boucher  ceiling  has  recently  been  placed  in  the  Louvre. 

1  Madame  Vigee  Le  Brun  bears  witness  to  the  destruction  of 
these  marvellous  works  of  art.  "  On  coming  to  Louveciennes  [in 
1814]  I  hastened  to  visit  the  villa,  which  I  had  seen  in  all  its  beauty 
in  September,  1789.  All  the  furniture  was  gone  and  every  one  of 
the  decorations  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  time.  Not  only  statues  and 
busts  had  been  taken,  but  also  the  bronzes  of  the  mantelpieces,  and  the 
locks  that  were  like  goldsmith's  work.  In  a  word,  the  Revolution  had 
ravaged  here  as  everywhere  else."  Souvenirs,  vol.  hi.,  p.  298. 


i88  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

may  strike  one  as  cold,  so  minute  are  its  details  from  the 
squared  marble  of  the  floor  to  the  gilded  galleries  for  the 
musicians,  which  this  evening  were  occupied  by  some  of  the 
guests  of  the  Countess.  Court  etiquette  was  strictly  fol- 
lowed in  the  serving  of  supper.  Louis  XV.  presided,  and 
the  artist  has  cleverly  caught  the  expression  of  haughty 
melancholy  in  his  handsome  Bourbon  face.  ...  To 
his  right  sits  Madame  Du  Barry,  in  a  very  low-necked  gown 
of  white  satin,  with  pearls  about  her  throat,  and  her  little 
head  thrown  proudly  back,  a  pose  that  does  not  in  the  least 
detract  from  her  charm  and  sweetness.  Around  the  table 
great  ladies  are  seated,  and  men  glittering  with  orders ; 
Richelieu,  the  brilliant  wit ;  courteous,  reserved  d'Aiguillon  ; 
caustic  Maupeou ;  gentle  and  lovable  Chauvelin ;  and 
among  many  others  the  young  Viscount  Du  Barry,  blind  as 
ever  to  the  radiant  galaxy  of  women,  to  all  but  the  favourite, 
his  faithfully  beloved  aunt. 

The  footmen  move  with  difficulty  among  the  curious 
crowd.  Madame  Du  Barry's  servants,  in  full  dress  livery  of 
red  velvet  trimmed  with  gold  lace,  are  aided  in  their  duties 
by  the  Swiss  Guards  in  blue  uniform  with  white  facings  and 
edgings,  three-cornered  hats  on  their  heads  and  swords  by 
their  side.  Morin,  the  factotum,  supervises  their  move- 
ments ;  Zamore  is  also  there,  a  little  black  page  in  a  pink 
costume,  and  Mirza,  the  white  greyhound,  that  the  Abb6 
Delille  had  given  the  Countess.  A  flowery  epergne  adorns 
the  centre  of  the  table,  and  gold  candelabra  are  placed 
among  the  piled  dishes,  masterpieces  by  Salanave,  the 
favourite's  chief  cook.  Gold  plate,  chased  by  Roettiers  de 
la  Tour,1  alternates  with  Sevres  ware,  patterned  with  tiny 
flowers  encircling  the  monogram  of  the  Countess,  a  design 
by  Saint- Aubin.2 

1  See  Madame  Du  Barry's  accounts.  The  Roettiers,  father  and 
son,  had  begun  supplying  the  Countess  in  November,  1770  ;  already 
by  October  8,  1771,  they  had  received  the  enormous  sum  of  227,328 
livres. 

*  This  service  was  replaced  in  1773  by  one  composed  of  plates 
patterned  with  "  Chinese  pictures  and  miniatures."  The  artist's 
name  is  given  in  the  accounts,  year  1774,  March  31  :  "  Payed  Saint- 


A  ROYAL  SUPPER  TARTY  AT  LOUVECIKNXKS 

Fivnt  a  drawing  by  Morcau  t lie  younger,  777.? 


A   MARVEL   OF   DECORATION  189 

Thanks  to  its  marvellous  decoration,  the  square  salon 
could  easily  be  turned  into  a  miniature  theatre.  Gouthiere 
had  made  the  bronze  flowerwork  over  the  mantelpiece  and 
in  the  fire-irons,  the  garlands  of  the  sconces  and  window 
embrasures,  the  bouquets  of  the  sash-fastenings,  locks  and 
door-knobs.  Over  the  two  fireplaces  trailed  a  frieze  of 
entwined  vine-leaves,  and  a  similar  pattern  ornamented  the 
panels  and  brackets.  The  fire-irons  were  embossed  in  gold  ; 
on  the  locks,  pierced  with  a  design  of  hearts,  was  the  mono- 
gram of  the  Countess.surrounded  by  an  arabesque.  Vines 
were  wreathed  round  the  window  fastenings,  whose  handles 
were  lyre-shaped  and  worked  with  flowers.  The  knobs, 
supports  and  hinges  of  the  lattices  were  chased,  gilded  and 
double-gilded,  and  finally,  the  general  scheme  of  decoration 
was  repeated  in  the  foliage  of  the  sconces  and  candelabra. 

Cagny  had  supplied  the  white  and  the  gilded  chairs,  as 
also  the  twelve  large  armchairs,  upholstered  in  yellow  Indian 
silk,  and  embroidered  by  the  Sieur  Tripperet,  embroiderer 
to  the  King,  of  Paris,  rue  Sainte-Anne,  near  the  Nouvelles- 
Catholiques.  The  ottoman  represented  "  landscapes  with 
reapers  '*  in  six  large  medallions,  and  the  two  panels  of 
the  fire-screen  were  worked  in  the  same  style.  And  above 
the  doors  were  paintings  by  Fragonard. 

Three  pieces  of  tapestry  were  ordered  from  the  Gobelin 
Manufactory  in  November,  1772,  for  decorating  the  panels 
of  the  salon,  but  were  not  ready  until  1775.  They  repre- 
sented Venus  and  Vulcan  after  Boucher,  Pluto  and  Proser- 
pina after  Vien,  and  the  Abduction  of  Europa  after  a  drawing 
by  Pierre,  principal  painter  to  the  King.  All,  and  especially 
the  first,  were  overladen  with  figures,  which  "  made  the 
expenses  for  working  and  material  very  costly  owing  to  the 
variety  of  colours,"  wrote  Cozette,  the  manager  of  the  Royal 

Aubin,  designer,  for  designing  plates — 126  livres."  The  gold  plate 
bears  festoons  of  roses  and  the  arms  in  relief.  "  Two  dishes  with 
platters  and  spoons  for  two  services,  platters  and  forks  being  very 
rich,  ornamented  with  children  holding  garlands ;  on  the  four 
covers  four  different  subjects.  The  crest  embossed  in  bas-relief, 
the  feet  ornamented  with  rams'  heads,  trophies  of  flowers,  and 
quivers,  all  finished  with  the  greatest  care  .  .  .  24,000  livres." 


igo  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Manufactory.  At  the  end  of  his  account,  he  had  "  the 
honour  to  represent  that  for  similar  pieces  the  late  Madame 
de  Pompadour  gave  him,  in  1752,  fifty  louis  for  each  piece, 
as  a  reward  and  honorarium."  Before  the  fourth  panel 
stood  an  altar  in  the  classical  style,  of  white  marble,  gold  and 
silver,  chased  by  Gouthiere,  and  carved  with  figures  by 
Feuillet  and  Metivier.  On  it  was  the  white  image  of  the 
favourite,  the  marble  bust  of  her  made  by  Pajou  in  1773, 
that  is  now  in  the  Louvre. 

Louis  XV.  sometimes  rested  in  this  square  salon  after 
hunting  at  Marly.  From  the  large  open  bay-windows  the 
hill  of  Saint-Germain  could  be  seen  silhouetted  in  the 
dusk  against  the  evening  sky  ;  the  last,  melancholy  sound- 
ings of  the  horn  added  to  the  indecisive  charm  of  the  hour, 
loved  by  the  King  for  its  poetry,  its  deep  silence.  Some 
years  later,  the  Countess  was  to  hear  in  this  same  room,  not 
the  bugles  of  the  Royal  Chase,  but  the  sound  of  the  cannon- 
ades from  Paris. 

Of  the  two  smaller  salons,  the  one  on  the  right  had  a  fire- 
place formed  of  little  bronze  and  golden  pillars  wreathed  in 
branches  of  myrtle,  with  roses  on  the  frieze  and  cross-pieces  ; 
there  was  more  myrtle  decoration  on  the  doors  and  windows, 
whose  fastenings  and  locks  bore  Madame  Du  Barry's  mono- 
gram in  a  coronet  of  roses.  Two  statuettes,  carved  by 
Vass6,  stood  on  pedestals,  one  an  Amor,  the  other  a  Thalia 
holding  her  mask.  Above  the  doors  Drouais  had  painted 
four  children,  which  Diderot  much  admired.  "  He  has  given 
such  vivacity  and  clearness  to  their  eyes,"  he  wrote,  "  that 
they  seem  to  look  and  smile  at  you,  even  from  quite  close." 

Vien  painted  four  pictures  for  this  salon,  though  Madame 
Du  Barry  had  at  first  given  Fragonard  the  task  of  decorating 
it ;  in  1771  she  asked  the  latter  for  the  paintings,  whose 
subject  she  herself  devised.  They  represented  the  purest 
and  sweetest  of  idylls  played  in  a  setting  of  blue-tinted  parks, 
among  rosebushes :  The  rendezvous,  The  courtship,  The 
love-letters,  and  The  lover  crowned.  The  composition  is 
tinged  with  melancholy,  but  such  a  feeling  vanishes  on  see- 
ing, on  a  little  pedestal,  winged  Eros,  sceptical  and  mocking, 


A    CRITICAL   PATRON  191 

the  very  incarnation  of  the  age.  The  series  is  Fragonard's 
masterpiece,  and  is  undoubtedly  the  finest  example  of  this 
kind  of  eighteenth  century  decorative  art.1  "  The  exquisite 
pictures,  though  so  suitable  to  Louveciennes,  the  home  of 
art,  did  not  adorn  the  white  villa  of  the  gardens.  Certainly 
not  because  they  did  not  please  the  Countess  ;  her  sure  taste 

.  .  .  made  her  too  good  a  judge  of  the  value  of  paint- 
ings for  that ;  but  her  mania  for  criticising  and  minutely 
instructing  the  artists  who  worked  for  her,  must  have 
wearied  Fragonard."2  The  latter  therefore  kept  his  pic- 
tures, and  received  eighteen  thousand  livres  from  the  favour- 
ite. Vien,  "  the  disciple  of  the  Greeks,"  was  given  the  work 
instead,  and  on  the  same  subject  as  Fragonard,  namely, 
on  The  progress  of  love  in  the  hearts  of  young  girls.  But 
the  grace,  the  luminous  quality  were  gone,  and  his  cold  classic 
figures,  conventionally  nude,  already  foreshadowed  the 
school  of  David. 

The  third  salon  was  all  mirrors,  with  a  ceiling  by  Briard 
on  the  subject  of  Rural  pastimes,  and  the  motto  Ruris  amor. 
Often  the  long,  glass  panels  reflected  in  contrast  the  affected 
scenes  of  Court-life ;  great  ladies  seated  in  armchairs,  and 
courtiers  gallantly  bending  over  them  ;  pretty  coquetry  and 
fan-concealed  smiles  ;  while  the  black  page  and  Mirza,  the 
greyhound,  played  among  the  trains  of  brocaded  gowns. 

While  the  villa  was  being  completed  in  the  gardens,  the 
chateau  was  being  altered  to  suit  the  wishes  of  the  Countess. 
From  the  end  of  her  exile,  after  the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  until 
the  day  of  her  sentence,  Madame  Du  Barry  lived  nowhere 
else.  The  building  dates  from  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  who 
had  it  erected  for  the  Baron  de  Ville,  a  gentleman  of  Liege 
and  the  constructor  of  the  engine  at  Marly.  The  Duke  de 
Luynes  speaks  in  his  memoirs  of  the  entertainments  given 
at  Louveciennes  in  1737,  when  it  belonged  to  Mademoiselle 
de  Clermont,  the  legitimised  daughter  of  Mademoiselle  de 
Nantes  and  the  Great  King.  "  Life  there  is  charming,"  he 
wrote,  "  and  the  house  is  very  pretty."  There  the  Duke  de 

1  The  four  pictures  belonged  to  the  late  Mr.  Pierpont  Morgan. 
•  P.  de  Nolhac,  J.-H.  Fragonard,  p.  64. 


I92  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Penthievre,  the  heir  to  the  Countess  de  Toulouse,  witnessed 
the  death,  in  1768,  of  the  Prince  de  Lamballe,  the  last  of  his 
five  sons.  He  parted  with  his  life-interest  in  the  estate,  and 
Louis  XV.  granted  it  to  his  mistress  on  July  26,  1769. 

The  little  chateau  was  in  such  a  bad  condition  that  the 
favourite  asked  for  repairs  to  be  executed,  and  also  for  addi- 
tions, such  as  halls  for  the  menservants,  rooms  for  the  women, 
baths,  offices  and  an  orangery.  As  a  Crown  domain  was  in 
question,  the  work  was  carried  out  under  the  supervision  of 
Gabriel,  superintendent  of  the  Office  of  Works. 

The  ceiling  of  the  vestibule  was  ornamented  with  a  frieze 
of  playing  children.  The  dining-room  was  panelled  with 
woodwork,  carved  with  attributes  of  the  chase  and  rural 
trophies,  which  was  continued  on  the  walls  of  the  salon. 
The  favourite's  own  apartment  was  on  the  first  floor,  as 
also  that  of  the  King,  which  was  later  occupied  by  the  Duke 
de  Cosse-Brissac.  Adjoining  the  orangery  was  the  white 
and  gold  chapel,  where  the  marriages  of  the  domestics  and 
the  baptisms  of  their  children  were  celebrated.  A  friar  of 
Saint-Germain  officiated  every  Sunday.  There  is  in  Madame 
Du  Barry's  accounts  a  list  of  golden  monstrances,  chalices 
and  vases  to  be  used  for  divine  service. 

On  the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  Montvallier,  steward  to  the 
Countess,  had  all  the  furniture  and  precious  articles  of  her 
rooms  at  Versailles  moved  to  Louveciennes,1  whose  artistic 
treasures  increased  from  year  to  year.  Not  that  the  chateau 
was  filled  with  the  indiscriminate  profusion  of  a  financier's 
galleries ;  everything  was  choice,  perfect,  rare.  The  art 
of  the  period  was  summed  up  in  the  harmonious  whole, 
in  which  each  thing  stood  out  and  received  its  proper  value. 
Among  the  rich  and  glorious  harvest  of  the  age,  there  were 
works  whose  delicate  grace  and  moving  truth  appealed 
especially  to  the  soul  of  their  sensitive  young  owner.  Her 
time  of  favour  was  one  of  the  most  charming  periods  of 
painting  in  the  i8th  century,  that  knew  so  many  charming 

1  On  February  17,  1777,  some  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  pictures 
were  sold  by  auction,  among  them  the  Prayer  to  Love,  by  Greuze. 
See  Goncourt,  La,  Du  Barry,  p.  205. 


THE   BROKEN    PITCHER  193 

periods.  From  Watteau  to  Fragonard  many  masters  had 
flourished,  and  their  canvases,  though  less  appreciated, 
were  still  sometimes  to  be  seen,  framed  in  gold ;  but  in  general 
the  young  generation  of  painters  triumphed  by  reason  of 
their  talent  and  vigour. 

In  the  chateau  of  Louveciennes  we  again  find  Fragonard, 
in  the  four  pictures  over  the  doors  of  the  dining-room ; 
The  Graces,  Love  setting  the  world  on  fire,  Venus  and  Love, 
and  finally  Night.  He  was,  no  doubt,  her  favourite,  this 
artist  who  added  Watteau's  dreaminess,  Chardin's  intimacy 
and  Boucher's  sensuousness,  to  all  the  wit  and  voluptuousness 
of  his  time.  The  new  ideals  of  a  return  to  nature  prevailed 
in  the  decoration  of  her  walls.  There  was  the  picture  of  a 
ruin  by  Hubert  Robert,  a  seascape  by  Vernet.  Greuze 
in  sentimental  mood  was  represented  by  The  Broken 
Pitcher,  "  a  symbol,"  wrote  a  critic,  "  of  the  far  more 
precious  possession  the  girl  has  lost.  The  flowers  she  holds 
in  her  apron  express  with  no  less  ingenuity  the  trifling, 
worthless  compensation  she  has  received.  Her  face  is 
full  of  the  naive  grief  that  this  first  blow  inspires  in  every 
virtuous  person.  As  for  the  execution,  it  is  excellent ; 
the  flesh  tones  have  the  firmness  of  a  robust  peasant  girl, 
in  whose  plump  arms  the  quick  blood  flows." 

Framed  in  trophies,  wreathed  in  myrtle  and  roses,  the 
image  of  the  Countess  smiled  from  the  walls,  whether  as 
the  Flora,  Muse  or  elegant  cavalier  of  Drouais'  portraits, 
or  as  represented  later  in  the  series  by  Madame  Vigee  Le  Brun. 
The  painter  whom  the  favourite  usually  commissioned  for  this 
work  is  much  rather  the  follower  of  Nattier  than  of  Latour, 
but  the  superficial  graces  of  his  brush,  his  delicate  colouring 
and  refined  affectation  pleased  Madame  Du  Barry.  As  we 
have  seen,  he  exhibited  every  year  a  portrait  of  her  in  the 
Salon  of  the  Louvre.  His  wife  and  pupils  assisted  him  in 
making  the  numerous  copies  she  required. 

One  of  the  most  engaging  representations  of  the  favourite 
was  painted  in  1771  by  J.-B.-A.  Gauthier-Dagoty,  the  elder 
son,  who  afterwards  engraved  it  both  in  black-and-white 
and  in  colour.  He  shows  us  the  young  woman  seated  in 


194  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

front  of  her  toilet  table,  while  Zamore  is  handing  her  coffee.1 
She  is  very  fair  in  her  large  white  morning-gown,  that  is 
open  to  show  her  rose  petticoat.  But  how  she  has  rouged, 
she  who  as  a  rule  used  so  little  !  There  are  lace  ruffles  on 
her  wrists,  and  in  her  hands  she  holds  a  silver  cup  affectedly 
poised.  Her  hair  is  dressed  in  curls,  and  falls  in  three 
heavy  ringlets,  that  by  some  astonishing  optical  prodigy 
are  reflected  in  the  glass  on  the  draped  table.  In  her  large 
blue  eyes,  shaded  by  long,  fringed  lashes,  is  an  expression 
of  gentle  melancholy,  but  her  mouth  is  as  childishly  mis- 
chievous as  ever. 

Greuze,  too,  painted  the  favourite,  but  as  a  Bacchante. 
The  Anecdotes  relate  how,  being  dissatisfied  with  her 
portrait  as  a  Muse,  "  she  wished  the  Sieur  Greuze  to  under- 
take a  work  in  the  same  style."  Monseigneur  de  Grimaldi, 
the  Bishop  of  Noyons,  wrote  to  his  friend  Desfriches  on 
April  6,  1772  :  "I  have  been  to  Greuze,  who,  after  having 
shown  me  an  oval  portrait  of  Madame  Du  Barry,  which 
those  who  know  the  original  assure  me  is  exactly  like, 
described  all  its  beauties  to  me  in  detail,  and  I  have  indeed 
found  it  very  fine."  This  is,  no  doubt,  the  unfinished 
picture,  which  passed  into  the  possession  of  the  State 
according  to  the  sale  inventory  made  at  Louveciennes  in 
1793.  It  is  now  only  known  in  an  indifferent  contemporary 
engraving.  The  favourite's  bosom  is  uncovered  and  sup- 
ported by  a  corselet  of  tigerskin  ;  she  is  crowned  with  vine- 
leaves,  and  her  hair  floats  in  wild  disorder  over  her  shoulders  ; 
in  her  hand  she  holds  the  thyrsis,  and  her  leering  expression 
is  one  that  Greuze  could  never  have  given  her. 

Drouais  also  painted  for  the  Countess  her  beloved  niece 
Betzy,  embracing  a  cat ;  Betzy  playing  on  the  triangle ; 
Mademoiselle  Luxembourg  crowning  the  greyhound  Mirza ; 
Zamore  and  a  little  son  of  the  porter  at  Louveciennes ; 
and  she  further  owned  a  portrait  of  Marie  Antoinette  by  the 

1  This  picture  was  long  thought  to  be  a  copy  of  a  Drouais,  by  De 
Creuse.  In  Louis  Philippe's  time  it  was  enlarged  by  the  latter 
painter,  and  the  figure  of  Zamore  was  completed.  It  is  in  the  Ver- 
sailles Museum. 


"A   FAMILY    PORTRAIT"  195 

same  artist.  Once  the  Office  of  Works  happened  to  have  to 
refer  to  this  original  in  order  to  enable  Duplessis  to  make 
more  pictures  of  the  Princess.  In  November,  1771,  Monsieur 
de  Marigny  was  made  aware  of  the  fact  that  "  Monsieur 
Jeaurat  had  no  portrait  of  the  Dauphine.  Of  the  two  which 
existed  one  belonged  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  the  other  was  in 
Vienna.  .  .  .  Madame  Du  Barry's  picture  would  have 
to  be  borrowed,  which  could  be  arranged  by  Monsieur 
Pierre,  if  the  Director-General  thought  suitable." 

Madame  Du  Barry's  picture  gallery  included  many  other 
works,  which  she  had  commissioned  or  which  had  been 
bought  in  her  name.  De  La  Borde  brought  her  paintings 
from  Italy ;  the  Marquis  d'Arcambal  acquired  for  her  on 
one  single  occasion  several  valuable  pictures,  and  she  pro- 
cured some  beautiful  ones  at  the  Choiseul  sale.  She  paid 
twenty  thousand  livres  for  the  famous  Charles  I.  of  Van 
Dyck,  said  to  have  belonged  to  Crozat  de  Thiers.  "  A 
family  portrait,"  she  modestly  called  it ;  and,  indeed,  the 
Du  Barrys  were  connected  with  the  Stuarts  through  the 
Barry  mores.1 

However  sure  she  felt  of  her  artistic  knowledge,  she  yet 
thought  right  to  engage  an  expert,  Monsieur  Boileau,  to 
examine  her  acquisitions.  She  used  to  make  fun  of  amateurs 
who  allowed  themselves  to  be  duped  by  dealers  ;  for  instance, 
she  wrote  to  "  her  poet,"  the  Abb£  Delille,  in  1782  :  "  You 
must  be  perfectly  acquainted  with  the  pictures  of  Albane, 

1  This  is  the  Van  Dyck  at  the  Louvre.  The  libellers  have  re- 
lated how  the  Countess  bought  the  picture  at  the  Crozat  sale,  in 
order  to  display  it  in  her  rooms  at  Versailles,  and  how  she  afterwards 
showed  it  every  day  to  the  King,  threatening  him  with  the  fate  of 
King  Charles  should  he  give  way  to  the  Parliaments.  This  story 
shows  complete  ignorance  of  the  despotic  and  haughty  character 
of  Louis  XV.  Besides,  the  sale  of  the  Crozat  collection  did  not  take 
place  until  the  end  of  1771,  after  the  Parliaments  had  fallen.  Miche- 
let,  who  used  the  anecdote  with  such  telling  harshness,  cannot  have 
known  this  detail.  Another  fact  against  the  plausibility  of  the  story 
is  that  the  picture  is  too  large  ever  to  have  been  brought  into  the 
favourite's  low-ceiled,  gabled  rooms.  Nor  is  it  catalogued  in  the 
collection  of  the  Baron  de  Thiers,  and  no  doubt  never  belonged  to 
to  him.  Where  Madame  Du  Barry  acquired  it  is  not  known,  and 
she  sold  it  during  the  reign  of  Louis  XVI. 


196  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

since  you  use  his  colours  in  your  charming  works  ;  but  the 
Duke  asserts  that  you  have  laughingly  imagined  an  associa- 
tion of  the  name  of  Poussin  with  the  picture  you  were  so 
proud  of  having  acquired  so  cheaply,  which  is  just  as  if 
one  were  to  inscribe  the  name  of  Delille  on  the  gardens  of 
Le  Notre  in  order  to  double  their  price."  x 

The  inventories  of  the  Revolutionary  period  point  to  the 
existence  of  a  large  number  of  pictures  at  Louveciennes. 
Vien  is  mentioned  as  the  painter  not  only  of  the  four  panels 
in  the  villa,  but  also  of  four  genre  pictures :  The  woman  selling 
loves,  commissioned  for  the  Countess  by  the  Duke  de  Cosse- 
Brissac,  Love  escapes,  a  pendant  to  the  former,  and  two 
nymphs,  one  gathering  roses,  the  other  plucking  the  strings 
of  a  lyre.  She  had  a  pastoral  scene  by  Boucher,  a  bacchanal 
by  Pierre,  a  rural  scene  by  Cassanova,  a  seascape  by  Vernet, 
"  ruins,  among  which  sacrifice  is  made  to  Venus  "  by  Hubert 
Robert.  The  Dutch  and  Flemish  schools  were  represented 
by  an  interior  by  Van  Ostade,  a  tavern  by  Teniers,  a  land- 
scape by  Jan  Wynants,  and  a  nude  woman  by  Cornelis  van 
Poelenbourg,  modestly  concealed  under  "  a  curtain  of  green 
taffetas." 

Of  historical  pictures  she  owned  four  large  compositions 
that  the  King  had  given  her,  having  taken  them  from  the 
old  gallery  at  Choisy.  Such  representations  were  again 
coming  into  fashion,  and  their  subjects  seem  very 
severe,  namely :  Augustus  closing  the  Temple  of  Janus, 
by  Carle  Vanloo,  The  Emperor  Trajan  receiving  a  woman's 
petition,  by  Halle,  Marcus  Aurelius  having  food  distributed 
to  the  people,  by  Vien.  .  .  .  How  far  they  are  from  the 
licentious  paintings  attributed  to  her  collection ! 

The  Countess  had  collected  numerous  engravings  and 
drawings  ;  among  them  she  especially  prized  the  drawing 
of  the  Bordeaux  ship  that  bore  her  name,  and  Moreau's 
water-colour  of  the  supper-party  at  Louveciennes,  as 
remembrances  of  the  past.  Then  there  were  miniatures, 
which  at  that  time  were  so  much  sought  after  for  the  lids 
of  caskets  and  snuffboxes,  but  which  were  sometimes 
1  Delille's  poem,  Les  Jardins,  had  just  been  published. 


MINIATURES  197 

complete  in  themselves,  framed  in  a  circle  of  gems  or  chased 
gold.  The  favourite  possessed  a  portrait  of  Louis  XIV. 
by  Petitot,  "  another  of  the  late  Monsieur  de  France,  both 
in  enamel,  as  also  a  portrait  of  a  woman,  again  by  Petitot ;  " 
"  a  Louis  XV.  painted  by  Masse,  surrounded  by  a  gold 
laurel-leaf  border  ;  another  Louis  XV.  by  the  same  painter, 
but  smaller,  in  a  gold  medallion  ;  a  Louis  XV.  as  a  Car- 
melite ;  a  Louis  XV.  in  a  laboratory  ;  "  and  two  gold- 
mounted  tortoiseshell  boxes  with  the  portraits  of  Marie 
Antoinette  and  a  nun,  no  doubt  the  Abbess  of  Pont-aux- 
Dames. 

Later  the  Countess  owned  portraits  in  enamel  of  de  Brissac, 
his  grandmother,  daughter  and  grandson.1  Of  special  note 
among  these  dainty  masterpieces  was  a  miniature  of  herself 
by  Lawreince,  delicately  drawn,  and  coloured  in  finely 
blended  mauves  and  greys.  Her  youthful  beauty  glows 
vividly  in  the  setting  of  the  jewelled  frame  ;  she  wears  her 
heavy  locks  powdered  white  and  confined  with  a  lilac  ribbon, 
a  straw  hat  and  grey  feather,  and  a  simple  unadorned 
corsage,  following  the  lines  of  her  slender  form.  The  work 
is  happier  in  its  treatment  than  that  of  Hall  executed  in 
1773.  The  Swedish  miniature  painter  had  portrayed 
Madame  Du  Barry  for  Gustavus  III.,  who  already  possessed 
one  of  Drouais'  portraits. 

The  painting  of  the  period  was  repeated  in  Sdvres  ware  of 
every  shape,  such  as  large  urns,  vases  and  flower-stands, 
in  Royal  blue,  turquoise  blue  or  pale  blue,  which  last  colour 
the  Countess  preferred.2  The  furniture  was  medallioned 

1  See  the  declaration  made  by  Madame  Du  Barry  on  the  day  of 
her  execution,  a  document  published  by  Vatel,  from  which  it  may 
be  seen  that  she  still  possessed  innumerable  engraved  stones  set  in 
rings  ;  "a  gold-mounted  tortoiseshell  box  with  a  very  beautiful 
white  stone  finely  engraved  with  the  portraits  of  Brissac  and  the 
declarer  "  ;  gold  medals  struck  on  the  occasions  of  various  events, 
among  them  some  "  commemorating  the  marriages  of  the  ci-devant 
Princes." 

1  In  accordance  with  the  preferences  of  her  day,  Madame  Du 
Barry  also  possessed  Chinese,  Japanese  and  Persian  vases,  inkhorns  or 
grotesques.  Every  year  during  her  favour,  her  numerous  purchases 
of  SSvres  were  included  in  the  Exhibition  of  porcelain  in  the  King's 


ig8  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

in  the  same  ware,1  matching  the  clear  porcelain  of  all  these 
precious  things. 

The  sculptors  of  France,  even  more  than  her  painters,  are 
the  glory  of  the  eighteenth  century,  and  are  as  precious 
witnesses  to  its  traditions.  Contemporary  sculpture  was 
brilliantly  represented  at  Louveciennes,  while  some  master- 
pieces of  the  past  also  revealed  the  spirit  and  delicately 
toned  grace,  so  peculiar  to  the  age. 

Before  the  Countess  was  admitted  to  the  Court  in  the  early 
days  of  1769,  Lemoine  carved  the  bust  of  the  favourite  in 
marble,  a  bust  of  seductive  charm,  that  was  reproduced 
by  Se\res,  and  of  which  only  one  copy  is  known  to  "Us.  It 
seems  to  have  inspired  Pajou  in  his  marvellous  work  of 
1773  representing  the  favourite,  which  she  placed  in  her 
villa  in  the  gardens  of  Louveciennes.  J.-J.  Caffieri,  with 
as  much  genius,  and  more  sprightly  vivacity,  also  made  an 
image  of  her  ladyship,  a  terracotta  that  we  have  discovered.2 
Yet  another  bust,  smaller  than  lifesize  and  of  supreme 
perfection,  attributed  to  Houdon,  represents  the  Countess, 
this  time  wearing  a  wreath  of  roses. 

Besides  the  four  groups  of  women  by  Lecomte  and  Pajou, 
the  two  statuettes  by  Vien  and  the  busts  of  its  mistress 
already  referred  to,  Louveciennes  boasted  other  sculptures. 
A  gallery  full  of  precious  things,  that  Madame  Le  Brun  was 
one  day  to  admire,  was  no  doubt  the  home  of  the  porphyry 

salon.  In  her  gardens  and  peristyles  were  vases  of  marble  and  por- 
phyry which  were  kept  by  the  State,  when  the  inventory  of  the 
Chateau  of  Louveciennes  was  made. 

1  When  the  Countess  was  exiled  from  Versailles  her  furniture 
was  moved  to  Louveciennes.  The  little  Chateau  already  included 
among  its  possessions  two  inlaid  chests-of-drawers,  by  J.-F.  Leleu, 
with  lozenges  inlaid  with  fleur-de-lys,  one  of  which  is  now  at  the 
Petit  Trianon.  There  was  also  an  inlaid  and  painted  writing-table 
signed  Pasquin. 

*  The  Goncourts  are  strangely  mistaken  hi  asserting  Madame 
Du  Barry  to  be  the  original  of  the  young  "  dancer  "  of  the  Versailles 
Library,  in  whose  sly  face  there  is  not  one  of  the  favourite's  features. 
Moreover,  she  is  quite  a  young  girl,  while  at  the  date  on  the  pedestal 
the  favourite  was  twenty-eight  years  old.  We  think  we  have  found 
Caffieri's  bust  in  the  Brussels  Museum,  in  a  terracotta  falsely  attri- 
buted to  Pajou. 


MADAME    1)1'    BARRY 
Rust  in  terra  cotta  l>y  J .  J .  Caffirri 


A   FORMAL   GARDEN  199 

vases,  bought  by  de  Brissac,  then  Duke  de  Cosse,  for  his 
friend.  In  the  living-rooms  the  image  of  the  King  was  to 
be  seen  in  a  marble  by  Pajou,  in  a  bronze  bust  by  Lemoine, 
and  again  in  a  bronze  group,  by  the  same  artist,  of  Louis 
XV.  carried  aloft  by  three  warriors.  On  pedestals  stood 
statuettes  copied  from  the  antique  ;  an  Apollo  Belvedere 
and  a  Venus  Callipyge,  brought  from  Rome  at  great  expense  ; 
an  Abduction  of  Helen,  a  Vestal  nursing  the  sacred  fire  and 
attended  by  two  children ;  further  there  were  two  little 
pieces  by  Boizot,  a  nymph  fleeing  from  the  darts  of  Love 
and  Love  preparing  to  let  fly  an  arrow  at  her,  the  original 
of  Falconet's  masterpiece,  the  Woman  Bathing,  and  the 
group  of  Love  and  Friendship,  thought  to  be  by  Lemoine, 
which  in  reality  the  Countess  commissioned  Cafne'ri  to 
make.1 

There  was  statuary  in  the  park,  too,  gleaming  white 
through  the  foliage  of  its  arbours,  or  reflected  in  the  waters 
of  its  fountains.  The  lines  of  the  little  chateau  were  con- 
tinued in  the  symmetrical  arrangement  of  the  garden,  which 
was  laid  out  in  the  French  style,  with  level  lawns,  triangles 
of  rose-beds,  wheels  of  myrtle,  and  solid  rectangular  groves 
of  laurel,  the  whole  forming  one  of  those  series  of  geometrical 
problems  in  proportion  solved  in  diagrams  made  of  flowers, 
that  Horace  Walpole  made  such  fun  of,  never  having  under- 
stood them.  By  the  threshold  of  the  little  villa  were  two 
statues  of  women  bathing  by  Allegrain,  so  "  soft  in  execu- 
tion "  and  "  so  ingenious  in  attitude,"  that  one  could  not 
but  admire  them.  The  Venus  was  to  have  been  placed 
at  Choisy,  but  Louis  XV.  presented  it  to  his  mistress. 
Monsieur  de  Marigny  wrote  on  April  12,  1772  :  "  Monsieur 

1  "  We  all  four  assembled  on  Saturday,  the  agth  July  last,  at 
seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  in  M.  Caffieri's  studio,  and  there,  after 
having  minutely  examined  his  work,  a  group  of  Love  and  Friendship, 
and  taking  into  account  the  expense  to  which  he  has  been  put 
.  we  have  valued  the  above  work  at  a  sum  of  three  thousand 
six  hundred  livres,  for  which  sum  the  Sieur  Cameri  is  bound  to 
deliver  the  said  model  in  plaster  to  Madame  la  Comtesse.  .  .  . 
Lemoine,  G.  Coustou,  A.  Pajou,  Pigalle."  The  four  sculptors  also 
examined  the  block  of  marble  bought  by  Cafneri  for  the  model. 
But  neither  plaster  nor  marble  group  has  been  found. 


200  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Pierre  is  to  tell  Monsieur  Allegrain,  sculptor  to  the  King, 
to  deliver  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  for  her  gardens  at  Louve- 
ciennes,  the  figure  of  Venus  in  marble,  which  he  has  executed 
for  the  King,  and  which  was  committed  to  his  keeping." 
The  companion  figure  of  Diana  surprised  by  Actaeon  was 
only  delivered  in  1775.  The  artist  was  criticised  for  having 
given  the  huntress  the  disturbing  beauty  of  Cytherea,  but 
the  charming  statue  aimed  at  reproducing  the  features  and 
the  divine  fascination  of  the  favourite.  Further  off,  near 
a  rose-bed,  were  three  figures  by  Vasse ;  another  Venus, 
a  Cupid  and  a  "  seated  Minerva,  leaning  on  her  shield."  * 
Beyond  the  arbour  could  be  seen  the  gracious  form  of  a 
nymph  by  Coysevox,  and  looking  towards  the  woods  of 
Marly  was  a  sphinx  in  terracotta.  Large  marble  vases  orna- 
mented the  approach  to  the  chateau  and  the  peristyle  of  the 
villa,  or  were  outlined  in  their  graceful  curves  against  a 
background  of  dark  woods. 

The  admirable  arrangement  of  the  gardens  of  Louveciennes 
in  the  French  style  was  to  yield  by  degrees  to  the  growing 
taste  for  English  ways.  Increased  sensibility  induced 
people  to  dream  only  of  a  return  to  nature,  of  free  and 
picturesque  landscapes ;  and,  as  if  by  accident,  Dutch 
windmills,  Chinese  pagodas  and  Gothic  ruins  were  found 
at  the  bends  of  the  winding  alleys.  But  Madame  Du  Barry 
was  satisfied  with  less,  though  after  1781  she  altered  the 
arrangement  of  her  lower  gardens  on  the  recommendation 
of  Monsieur  d'Angiviller,  and  "  upset  "  them  altogether  in 
order  to  have  them  laid  out  in  the  English  style. 

When  the  new  buildings  at  Louveciennes  were  finished, 
the  Countess  bought  in  1772  the  Binet  villa  situated  in  the 
Avenue  de  Paris  at  Versailles.  A  balustrade  ran  round  the 
flat  Roman  roof,  which  was  ornamented  with  statues  and 
terracotta  vases.  In  front  of  the  house  stretched  a  long 
avenue  of  limes.  She  had  a  building  erected  for  her  house- 
hold and  her  stables  on  some  ground  adjacent  to  the  estate. 
She  commissioned  Ledoux  with  the  design,  but  only  the 

1  Vass6's  group,  Venus  teaching  Love  how  to  draw  his  Bow,  was 
valued  at  14,000  livres. 


A   VERSATILE    FAVOURITE  201 

monumental  entrance  is  of  interest.  On  the  stone  pediment 
were  two  female  figures  by  Lecomte,  supporting  the  arms 
of  the  Countess.1  One  was  a  Flora,  half  nude  and  possibly 
a  likeness  of  Madame  Du  Barry,  the  other  a  Minerva  robed  in 
the  classical  style. 

This  was  the  villa  where  she  gave  her  entertainments 
in  honour  of  the  Duke  d'Aiguillon  in  1773.  All  the  actors, 
musicians  and  dancers  were  proud  to  appear  at  the  reception, 
and  indeed  she  was  their  sovereign  dictator  to  whom  they 
brought  all  their  petitions,  who  supported  their  interests, 
paid  their  debts  and  settled  their  disputes. 

In  the  Royal  Household,  the  administration  of  the  Privy 
Purse  and  of  the  Lord  Chamberlain's  and  Lord  Steward's 
Departments  was  attached  to  the  Office  of  Works.  The 
Privy  Purse  was  controlled  by  the  four  First  Lords  in  Wait- 
ing, who  served  in  rotation,  each  for  one  year  ;  above  them 
was  the  favourite,  below  them  the  Master  of  the  Ceremonies, 
on  whom,  of  course,  fell  all  the  work  and  responsibility. 

From  the  very  beginning  of  her  power  the  Countess  gave 
her  attention  to  the  finances  of  the  Privy  Purse,  which  were 
in  a  deplorable  condition.  "  She  understood  very  well  all 
that  I  told  her,"  wrote  Papillon  de  La  Ferte  in  his  diary, 
"  and  has  promised  me  to  speak  to  the  Minister."  She 
tried  first  of  all  to  do  away  with  the  tax  on  the  poor,  although 
the  budget  was  still  further  burdened  with  the  enormous 
sums  of  money  laid  out  on  the  weddings  of  the  Dauphin, 
the  Count  de  Provence  and  the  Count  d'Artois. 

During  these  five  years  she  also  decided  on  the  plays 
to  be  acted  at  Versailles  and  Fontainebleau  ;  and  whatever 
may  have  been  said  to  the  contrary,  her  choice  was  always 
guided  by  good  taste  and  a  knowledge  of  the  theatre. 
Whether  "  on  duty  "  or  not,  the  Marshal  de  Richelieu  and 
the  Duke  de  Duras  retained  their  positions  as  directors  of 
the  Comedie  Italienne  and  the  Comedie  Fran$aise  respective- 
ly, but  understood  very  little  of  their  difficult  duties.  When 

1  On  the  disgrace  of  the  favourite,  her  arms  were  replaced  by 
those  of  the  Count  de  Provence  ;  in  1793,  the  fleur-de-lys  were 
destroyed.  The  gateway  now  forms  the  entrance  to  barracks. 


202  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

La  Ferte  wished  to  restore  peace  he  turned  to  Madame  Du 
Barry  for  help.  "  These  gentlemen,"  he  wrote,  "  never 
want  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  things,  but  allow  themselves 
to  be  guided  by  intriguers,  especially  women."  Richelieu's 
protege  was  Mademoiselle  Dubois,  and  Duras'  was  Madame 
Vestris,  and  only  these  two  ladies  were  at  all  in  favour. 
But  at  least  the  Marshal  took  care  of  the  debutantes,  particu- 
larly when  they  were  pretty,  like  the  Demoiselle  Colombe, 
whom  painters  and  sculptors  so  often  represented  caressing 
the  gentle  birds  whose  name  she  so  appropriately  bore. 
"  To  conciliate  all  these  gentlemen  and  all  these  ladies  is 
indeed  work  for  a  diplomat,"  complained  La  Ferte.  "  I 
went  to  the  Marshal  to  give  him  an  account  of  all  the  diffi- 
culties, and  found  him  with  the  Demoiselle  Colombe,  a 
debutante  at  the  Italienne.  He  is  so  overcome  by  her 
supposed  talent  that  he  even  went  so  far  as  to  ask  her, 
before  me,  to  rehearse  one  of  her  parts  to  him.  Is  it  aston- 
ishing that  a  Master  of  the  Ceremonies  should  be  able  to  do 
so  little  for  the  success  of  the  plays,  when  a  great  lord,  and  one 
of  Monsieur  de  Richelieu's  age  too,  descends  to  having  a  debu- 
tante rehearse  her  parts  before  him  ?  "  Only  the  Countess 
could  induce  her  old  friend  to  see  reason,  and  she,  too,  had 
favourites  herself  in  Mademoiselle  Dumesnil  and  the  young 
Raucourt,  who  astounded  Paris  by  her  six  months  of  virtue. 
Lekain,  the  tragedian  whom  Voltaire  admired,  enjoyed  the 
patronage  of  the  mistress,  from  whom  he  received  some 
beautiful  theatrical  costumes  in  "  the  Greek  and  Roman 
styles."  The  comedians  Mole"  and  Preville  also  shared  her 
bounty. 

In  spite  of  the  number  of  dramatic  authors  in  France, 
from  great  lords  such  as  the  Duke  de  Nivernais  and  the  Duke 
de  La  Valliere  down  to  professional  writers,  such  as  La 
Borde  and  Marmontel,  the  drama  was  passing  through  a 
literary  crisis.  Moreover,  the  Opera  Comique,  after  it  left 
the  booths  of  the  fair  and  joined  the  Comedie  Italienne, 
monopolised  public  favour  with  inimitable  Caillot,  with 
Clairval  and  Laruette,  with  Mesdames  Dugazon  and  Colombe, 
the  celebrated  interpreters  of  eighteenth  century  music. 


THE  COM£DIE  FRAN^AISE  203 

The  Comedie  Fran9aise  was  jealous  of  their  success,  and 
reasonably  so,  for  their  company  was  unrivalled  in  all  Europe. 
They  still  played  at  the  Tuileries,  while  the  new  theatre  was 
being  built,  to  whose  construction  Madame  Du  Barry,  the 
Lords  in  Waiting,  and  the  Royal  Architects  gave  their 
united  attention.  The  favourite  received  builders  and 
read  through  memoranda,  which  were  discussed  in  many  a 
conference  held  in  her  rooms.  She  wanted  the  building  to 
add  to  the  beauty  of  Paris  if  the  expense  were  not  too  great. 
When  the  plans  were  first  projected  in  December,  1771,  she 
feared  the  choice  would  fall  on  an  inefficient  architect,  and 
demanded  that  all  those  interested  should  assemble  in  her 
rooms.  "  The  Duke  de  Duras  went  to  Madame  Du  Barry's," 
wrote  Papillon  de  La  Ferte,  "  as  well  as  myself  and  the 
company  of  the  Comedie  Francaise.  The  plans  brought 
by  the  Sieur  Peyre  were  lengthily  examined  and  discussed." 
De  Wailly  and  Peyre  finally  won  the  day  over  their  com- 
petitors, and  the  Comedie  Fran9aise  was  built  on  the  site 
of  the  present  Odeon,  though  it  was  not  finished  until  1782. 
The  chief  debt  of  the  company  to  the  favourite  was  their 
school  of  Drama,  which  was  created  under  her  auspices, 
and  became  later  the  Conservatoire.  Sophie  Arnould,  the 
well-known  actress,  did  not  know  how  truly  she  spoke, 
when  she  ironically  said  on  the  death  of  Louis  XV.  and  the 
exile  of  his  mistress  :  "  We  have  lost  both  father  and 
mother !  " 


CHAPTER   VI 

IN    DISGRACE 

Imprisoned  in  the  Abbey  of  Pont-aux-Dames — In  Exile  at  the 
Chateau  of  Saint- Vrain — Return  to  Louveciennes — Visit  of 
the  Emperor  Joseph  II. — The  Duke  Hercule-Timoleon  de  Cosse- 
Brissac — Henry  Seymour — The  Queen's  Necklace — Madame  Du 
Barry  and  her  Friends — Madame  Le  Brun  at  Louveciennes. 

LOUIS  was  dead,  and  to  Madame  Du  Barry  fell  the 
lot  of  the  exile  ;  well-guarded,  she  was  taken  from 
Rueil  at  dusk  in  order  to  avoid  scandal,  and  after 
travelling  twenty  leagues,  arrived  at  the  Abbey 
of  Pont-aux-Dames  in  the  district  of  Brie.     The  Abbey  was 
not  a  convent  pure  and  simple,  a  shelter  open  to  all,  but  a 
State  prison  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Lieutenant  of 
Police,  where  the  King  sent  such  women  as  were  struck  like 
the  Countess  by  a  lettre  de  cachet.     All  the  way  she  wept 
with  the  despair  and  abandonment  of  a  child,  bemoaning 
her  heavy  burden  of  grief.     As  she  crossed  the  threshold 
of  the  ruined  monastery  and  saw  its  dark  high  walls,  she 
exclaimed :    "  Oh,  how  gloomy !    and  they  have  sent  me 
here  !  " 

The  stern  and  haughty  Abbess,  Madame  de  la  Roche- 
Fontenilles,  awaited  the  prisoner  in  her  parlour,  surrounded 
by  her  nuns.  At  first  the  latter  dared  not  look  the  Countess 
in  the  face.  They  examined  her  in  a  mirror,  and  were 
astonished  to  see,  not  the  "  demon  features "  they  had 
feared,  but  a  most  beautiful  woman  bathed  in  tears.1  There 
were  thirty  nuns  and  twenty  lay-sisters,  all  of  whom  wore 
the^white  robe  and  wimple  of  the  Bernardines  that  had  once 
been  the  attire  of  the  former  pupil  at  Sainte-Aure. 

1  These  traditions  were  handed  down  by  Mademoiselle  de  la 
Neuville,  Madame  Du  Barry's  niece  ;    they  are  quoted  by  Vatel. 

204 


THE    FALL   OF   THE    FAVOURITE  205 

The  Countess  was  taken  to  the  most  secluded  part  of  the 
convent  and  kept  there  in  absolute  secrecy.  On  the  pretext 
of  political  necessity,  her  confinement  was  for  some  time  of 
the  strictest.  Marie  Antoinette  wrote  to  her  mother : 
"  The  creature  has  been  taken  to  a  convent,  and  all  who  bear 
her  scandalous  name  have  been  driven  from  Court."  The 
Empress  thought  these  expressions  rather  too  violent,  and 
felt  it  her  duty  to  remind  the  young  Queen  of  the  need  for 
Christian  charity.  "  I  hope  nothing  further  will  be  said  of  the 
unfortunate  Barry,  for  whom  I  have  never  pleaded  except  in 
so  far  as  respect  towards  your  sovereign  and  father  required. 
I  hope  to  hear  her  name  only  once  more,  when  I  learn  that 
the  King  has  treated  her  with  generosity,  confining  her  and 
her  husband  at  a  distance  from  Court,  and  softening  her  fate 
in  accordance  with  the  dictates  of  humanity  as  far  as  circum- 
stances allow."1  But  during  these  first  few  days  no  one 
besides  Maria  Theresa  felt  any  pity  for  "  the  poor  Barry." 

The  exile  of  the  favourite  had  moreover  been  decreed  by 
Louis  XV.  himself  on  his  deathbed,  at  the  instance  of  the 
Cardinal  de  la  Roche-Aymon.  That  he  did  so  has  been 
verified  from  the  register  of  the  King's  commands,  which  bore 
the  following  for  the  date  of  May  9,  1774  : 

Note  by  the  Minister. 

The  Count  Du  Barry  to  be  conducted  to  the  chateau  of 
Vincennes. 

The  Countess  Du  Barry  to  be  conducted  to  the  Abbey  of 
Pont-aux-Dames.2 

At  the  first  alarm  the  Roue  fled  to  Holland.  The  Countess 
might  have  taken  refuge  with  the  Prince  des  Deux-Ponts, 

1  Maria  Theresa  wrote  on  the  same  day  to  Mercy  :  "I  have 
thought  necessary  to  write  something  about  the  poor  Barry.  She 
wrote  to  me  about  her  on  the  7th,  with  vehemence,  speaking  of  her 
as  the  creature.  The  unfortunate  woman  is  more  to  be  pitied  than 
we  ;  she  has  lost  all,  and  has  no  consolation,  nor  can  she  seek  it  in 
religion,  the  one  efficacious  cure  for  such  troubles." 

»  This  register  was  lost  on  the  occasion  of  the  fire  at  the  Pre- 
fecture of  Police  in  1871,  but  not  before  Vatel  had  found  and  verified 
the  above  note. 


206  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

who  made  her  an  offer  of  protection,  which  she  however 
declined.  Mademoiselle  Chon  left  for  Toulouse  after  her 
brother's  disappearance.  "  The  coopers  are  at  their  wits' 
ends,  for  all  the  barrels  are  running,"  wrote  some  wit.  Two 
lettres  de  cachets  issued  on  May  12  by  the  Duke  de  la  Vril- 
liere,  forbade  the  Viscount  and  the  Viscountess  Du  Barry  to 
appear  at  Court,  but  the  young  Viscountess  was  allowed  to 
visit  her  aunt  at  Pont-aux-Dames.1  The  Marquis  Du 
Barry  and  his  wife,  on  the  other  hand,  escaped  disgrace  by 
asking  for  and  obtaining  permission  by  letters  patent  of 
July  26,  1774,  to  assume  the  name  and  arms  of  Conty 
d'Hargicourt,  an  uncle  of  the  Marquise. 

Meanwhile  the  Countess  in  her  convent  attracted  the 
sisters  more  and  more  by  her  gentle  charm,  and  she  thus 
became  the  friend  of  Henriette-Catherine  de  Courcelles, 
Marguerite  Chouard  de  Cornillon,  Louise  du  Bois  de  Villar- 
ceaux,  of  the  prioress,  sister  Therese  Esprit,  and  of  Gabrielle 
de  la  Roche-Fontenilles  herself,  the  austere  mother  superior 
of  the  Royal  Abbey.  The  life  of  prayer  that  Madame 
Du  Barry  led  amid  these  calm,  affectionate  surroundings 
softened  her  regrets  and  soothed  her  sorrow.  The  mis- 
fortunes that  befell  her  family,  now  scattered  far  and  wide, 
were  not  the  only  ones  of  which  she  heard.  Many  others 
also  suffered,  and  one  after  the  other  d'Aiguillon,  Terray  and 
Maupeou  were  disgraced. 

But  the  Duke's  successor  in  the  Ministry  turned  out  to  be 
his  uncle,  witty  Maurepas,  whom  "  the  little  bourgeoise  " 
had  banished,  and  who  was  now  recalled  after  long  years  of 

1  By  some  singular  confusion   the   Goncourts  have  published 
Vrilliere's  letter  to  the  Viscountess  Du  Barry  as  though  it  were  the 
one  the  Countess  had  received.    The  document  itself  is  sufficient  to 
prove  to  the  reader  the  mistake  they  have  made  : 
"  Madame  la  Vicomtesse  Du  Barry, 

I  hope,  Madame,  you  will  not  doubt  my  grief  at  having  to  inform 
you  that  you  are  forbidden  to  appear  at  Court ;  but  I  am  obliged  to 
carry  out  the  King's  orders. 

At  the  same  time  His  Majesty  is  quite  willing  to  allow  you  to 
visit  your  aunt  at  the  Abbey  of  Pont-aux-Dames,  and  I  shall  there- 
fore write  to  the  Abbess  in  order  that  you  may  experience  no  diffi- 
culty in  doing  so.  .  .  ." 


A   FAITHFUL   FRIEND  207 

exile.  At  Versailles  he  occupied  a  part  of  the  favourite's 
former  apartments,  the  suite  of  little  gilded  rooms  under  the 
gables.  From  him  no  doubt  help  would  come.  Madame 
Du  Barry  had  for  a  moment  feared  the  return  of  Choiseul 
to  power,  but  Marie  Antoinette  was  not  able  to  overcome 
the  aversion  of  Louis  XVI.  for  the  ex-minister.  While  yet 
a  child  he  had  been  told  (perhaps  by  La  Vauguyon)  that 
the  Duke  had  prematurely  ended  the  life  of  the  Dauphin,  his 
father,  by  means  of  poison,  and  the  impression  this  made  on 
his  mind  was  never  obliterated.  Thus  the  Countess  had 
some  reason  to  hope  she  would  soon  be  set  free,  for  her  still 
faithful  friends  kept  her  informed  of  the  prospects  of  libera- 
tion. As  always,  the  most  devoted  of  her  supporters  were 
to  be  found  among  the  humblest.  An  honest  fellow  called 
Desfontaines,1  whom  she  had  engaged  as  librarian,  wrote  to 
the  prisoner  ten  days  after  her  arrest : 

I  have  been  to  pay  my  respects  to  your  mother,  whom  I 
found  very  sad,  and  who  begs  you  to  let  her  have  news  of 
you  as  often  as  possible.  She  is  very  anxious  to  go  to 
Pont-aux-Dames.  ...  I  spent  an  hour  with  Monsieur 
de  La  Borde,  whose  grief  has  by  no  means  lessened  his 
devotion  to  you.  He  assured  me  he  would  give  proofs  of 
it  as  soon  as  he  is  in  a  position  to  do  so,  and  from  what  he 
said  to  me,  I  believe  he  will  succeed.  .  .  .  He  begs 
Madame  to  be  so  kind  as  to  keep  entirely  to  herself  the 
letters  he  has  had  the  honour  of  addressing  her.  .  .  . 

As  soon  as  Madame  has  decided  with  Monsieur  d'Auteuil 
as  to  our  stay  at  Rueil,  I  shall  go  to  Louveciennes  and  make 
an  inventory  of  the  books,  which  will  spoil  if  left  shut  up 
as  they  are  now.  ...  I  shall  add  to  them  two  or 
three  hundred  volumes,  which  are  hi  the  Viscount's  care, 
after  which  I  await  Madame's  further  orders  as  to  the  things 
she  desires  me  to  do  ;  I  am  ready  to  go  anywhere  she 
wishes,  and  shall  be  happy  wherever  I  may  be  of  use  to  her. 
.  .  .  I  have  sufficient  experience  of  all  the  branches  of 
my  work  to  undertake  any  you  may  think  necessary,  and 
my  desire  to  be  of  use  to  you  will  make  me  capable  of  doing 
all. 

1  According  to  Vatel  this  Desfontaines  may  have  been  the  author 
of  the  Cinquantaine,  the  Fete  de  Village,  Ismtnor,  etc. 


208  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

The  first  to  receive  permission  to  visit  Madame  Du  Barry 
was  her  lawyer,  Maitre  Le  Pot  d'Autueil.  Her  creditors 
had  hastened  to  present  their  bills  as  soon  as  they  heard  of 
the  death  of  Louis  XV.,  and  she  had  to  think  of  some  means 
of  paying  off  her  debts,  as  well  as  of  paying  the  wages  of  her 
servants,  whom  she  wished  to  retain.  As  she  did  not  know 
whether  she  would  be  able  to  count  on  the  income  she  had 
hitherto  enjoyed,  whether  she  would  be  allowed  to  keep 
Louveciennes,  the  revenue  from  the  Nantes  shops  and  from 
the  Hotel  de  Ville,  all  of  which  the  late  King  had  given  her, 
she  decided  to  sell  some  of  her  jewels,  pictures  and  furniture. 

Very  soon  three  others  were  allowed  to  enter  the  Abbey 
in  order  to  deal  with  Madame  Du  Barry's  affairs.  They 
were  Montvallier,  her  steward,  and  Paymaster  of  Paris, 
Buffault,  formerly  a  merchant,  now  a  money-lender,  and 
finally  Aubert,  the  Crown  jeweller.  The  latter  was  given  orders 
to  sell  some  of  her  finest  sets  of  jewels  to  the  best  advantage. 

Pont-aux-Dames,  September  22,  1774. 

I  approve  and  authorise  the  Sieur  Aubert,  whom  I  have 
empowered  so  to  do,  to  conclude  the  sale  of  my  set  of  finely 
mounted  diamonds,  composed  of  the  corsage,  the  shoulder- 
knots,  etc.,  for  the  sum  of  450,000  livres,  payable  at  the 
rate  of  50,000  every  six  months. 

I  further  authorise  and  empower  him  as  above  to  conclude 
the  sale  of  my  set  of  rubies  and  diamonds  .  .  .  the  said 
set  for  the  sum  of  150,000  livres.  ...  I  do  not  doubt 
the  Sieur  Aubert  will  do  his  best  in  my  interests,  and  obtain 
the  greatest  profit  possible  on  the  articles  that  I  have 
entrusted  to  him.1 

But  her  interests  were  not  looked  after,  for  her  presence 
at  the  sales  would  have  been  necessary.  She  tried  to  recover 
her  independence  on  the  pretext  of  ill-health,  and  wrote 
to  the  Duke  de  La  Vrilliere,  who  adroitly  put  off  her  request 
by  a  courteous  note.2  The  Abbess  in  her  turn  wrote  on 

1  Aubert  sold  the  diamond  set  for  390,000  livres,  and  began  the 
payments  of  50,000  livres  from  January  i,  1775. 

1  This  note  is  of  August  6,  1774.  The  Minister  assures  Madame 
Du  Barry  of  his  real  interest  "  at  all  times,"  and  the  correspondence 
quoted  by  the  Marquis  of  Segur  proves  he  was  sincere  in  his  desire 
to  serve  her. 


LIFE   AT   THE   ABBEY  209 

behalf  of  the  captive,  and  this  time  the  letter  reached 
Louis  XVI.,  through  the  support  of  the  faithful  Duchess 
d'Aiguillon.  "  My  sister  (Madame  de  Maurepas),  "  La 
Vrilliere  wrote  to  her,  "  sent  me  the  letter  of  the  Abbess  of 
Pont-aux-Dames,  and  as  I  had  nothing  of  greater  importance 
to  do  this  morning,  I  took  it  to  the  King.  He  read  it,  and 
after  having  listened  to  all  I  said  to  persuade  him  to  restore 
her  liberty  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  he  gave  me  back  the 
letter  of  the  Abbess.  ...  Be  assured  that  I  shall  do 
all  in  my  power  to  obtain  what  you  desire."  Somewhat 
later  the  King  replied  to  a  direct  request  from  Monsieur 
de  Maurepas  with  "  a  very  dry  wo,"  and  the  right  to  enter 
the  convent  continued  to  be  forbidden  to  every  unauthorised 
visitor. 

Such  a  vigorous  prohibition  leaves  no  shadow  of  founda- 
tion for  the  pamphleteers'  stories  of  Madame  Du  Barry's 
gay  and  even  libertine  existence  in  her  saintly  retreat. 
Everything  points  to  her  having  conducted  herself  irre- 
proachably at  Pont-aux-Dames.  Indeed  it  is  impossible 
to  believe  that  Madame  de  la  Roche-Fontenilles  should 
have  taken  her  under  her  protection  and  loved  her  sincerely 
for  twenty  years,  if  she  had  not  inspired  some  respect  by 
her  modest  demeanour  and  attention  to  monastic  regula- 
tions. She  never  left  the  Abbey,  but  used  to  walk  in  its 
large  park,  or  sit  and  read,  or  dream,  or  sometimes  weep, 
by  the  fountain  which  bears  her  name,  and  was  probably 
built  for  her.1  She  joined  the  nuns  at  mass  and  divine 
service  ;  she  liked  the  little  choir-boy,  "  who  had  a  pretty 
face,"  and  enjoyed  showing  him  kindness. 

The  sisters  surrounded  her  with  tender  care,  and  after- 
wards, when  she  was  free  once  more,  she  came  more  than 
once  to  rest  in  their  pious  retreat.  For  a  long  time  the 
Countess  was  remembered  in  the  neighbourhood  for  her 
generosity  and  "  her  very  lovable  smile."  A  letter  from 
the  Duke  de  Brissac  was  one  day  to  speak  of  her  friends  at 
Pont.  "  They  love  you  for  yourself,"  he  gallantly  wrote, 

1  There  is  no  reason  to  believe,  as  the  Goncourts  have  stated, 
that  she  had  a  wing  added  to  the  Abbey  by  her  architect  Ledoux. 

p 


210  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

"  because  they  know  you  well,  and  those  who  do  so  can  with 
difficulty  deny  the  tribute  due  to  the  goodness  of  heart, 
beauty,  sweetness  and  lovable  and  perfectly  equable  temper, 
that  constitute  the  charm  of  close  companionship." 

In  the  little  vaulted  chapel  of  the  Abbey,  during  the 
early  days  of  her  imprisonment,  she  took  part  in  the  mass 
that  was  celebrated  in  all  the  churches  of  France  for  the 
repose  of  the  soul  of  the  dead  King.  As  she  stood  there, 
dressed  in  deep  mourning,  listening  to  the  benediction 
pronounced  on  Louis  the  Well  Beloved  by  the  almoner  of 
the  Abbey,  the  sisters  saw  with  profound  emotion  that  the 
tears  were  streaming  down  her  face. 

But  the  days  began  to  weigh  heavily  on  her  volatile 
spirit ;  she  was  not  made  to  bear  long-drawn  pain,  and  easily 
resigned  after  her  hard  trials,  she  forgot  as  such  women  do 
forget.  She  dreamt  of  a  new  life,  of  other  loves,  in  a  word, 
of  happiness  again.  The  Prince  de  Ligne,  who  was  still 
her  friend,  is  supposed  to  have  ventured  to  lay  in  the  hands 
of  Marie  Antoinette  herself  a  letter  from  the  captive,  "  asking 
him  to  arrange  her  affairs,  which  her  thoughtless  disin- 
terestedness had  brought  to  a  very  bad  state  after  the 
King's  death."  l  Nor  was  the  intervention  of  the  Prince 
said  to  have  been  ineffectual  in  advancing  the  cause  of  the 
prisoner.  As,  further,  she  did  not  offend  in  any  way,  the 
restrictions  on  her  movements  gradually  became  less  severe. 
On  May  24, 1775,  a  gazette  stated  that  "  Madame  Du  Barry 
has  been  given  permission  to  leave  the  Abbey ;  she  goes 
for  walks  in  the  neighbourhood,  but  returns  to  the  convent 
at  night.  Rumour  says  she  is  buying  an  estate."  z  Thus 
was  her  early  liberation  announced. 

1  The  Prince  relates  in  his  memoirs  that  Louis  XVI.  said  to  him, 
on  the  subject  of  this  letter  :  "  What  a  fine  mission  you  have  under- 
taken !  "  to  which  "  I  replied  that  no  one  else  would  have  dared  to 
do  it."  The  newsmongers  have  told  how  the  Prince  was  said  to  have 
climbed  the  convent  walls  in  order  to  console  the  Countess. 

*  A  letter  from  Monsieur  de  La  Vrilliere  to  Madame  d'Aiguillon, 
quoted  by  Monsieur  de  Segur,  shows  the  general  feeling  of  the  Court 
at  her  liberation.  "  Madame  Adelaide,  to  whom  I  spoke  of  it,  said 
she  would  not  interfere,  but  that  if  the  King  referred  to  it,  she  would 
say  he  had  done  well  in  setting  her  free.  Everyone  else  thinks  so  too." 


AT   LIBERTY   AGAIN  211 

In  the  following  month  she  regained  her  liberty,  but  was 
compelled  to  keep  at  a  distance  of  not  less  than  ten  leagues 
from  the  Court  and  the  capital.  The  estate  of  Saint-Vrain, 
which  she  knew  as  having  belonged  to  the  second  son  of 
Madame  de  la  Garde,  complied  with  these  conditions,  and 
she  bought  it.  The  chateau  was  situated  near  Corbeil  and 
Arpajon  in  the  Hurepoix  plain.  It  was  surrounded  by  a 
moat  with  a  drawbridge,  and  in  the  large  park  was  a  fine 
stretch  of  ornamental  water.  The  deed  of  purchase  was 
signed  at  Pont-aux-Dames  on  April  9, 1775.  The  proprietor, 
Jacques  Sauvage,  Secretary  to  the  King,  asked  two  hundred 
thousand  livres  in  cash,  which  were  advanced  by  the  Duke 
d'Aiguillon,  and  fifteen  thousand  livres  for  the  furniture. 

Madame  Du  Barry  summoned  her  former  household 
to  Saint-Vrain,  and  she  was  soon  joined  by  her  nieces  and 
sister-in-law.  She  made  up  for  the  privations  she  had 
endured  in  exile  by  inviting  the  neighbouring  families  to 
one  entertainment  after  another,  which  are  still  remembered 
in  the  district.  Nor  is  her  charity  forgotten ;  "  she  had 
bread  and  meat  and  wood  distributed ;  she  succoured  all 
who  were  in  distress,  or  rather  she  saw  to  it  that  there  were 
no  longer  any  people  in  distress.  Often  she  allowed  the 
villagers  to  dance  in  her  park."  1 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  visits  of  a  few  beloved  friends, 
however,  the  Countess  would  sometimes  have  felt  life  very 
dreary  in  her  vast  domain.  The  Duke  de  Cosse-Brissac, 
whom  she  had  known  intimately  at  Versailles,  was  still  her 
faithful  and  tender  admirer.  So  too  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon, 
who  remained  at  Court  on  the  strength  of  his  position  as 
Captain  of  the  Guards,  which  he  had  retained  on  handing 
in  his  ministerial  resignation.  Before  the  Reviews  he  used 
to  receive  his  orders  from  the  Queen,  the  young  Queen  who 
would  fain  be  the  only  woman  worshipped,  and  bore  the 
exile  ill-will  for  having  stolen  the  hearts  of  some.  One  day 
she  said  to  the  Duke  in  an  incensed  tone  of  voice  which 
intensified  the  haughtiness  of  her  demeanour,  "  that  he  had 
better  go  to  Saint-Vrain  for  Madame  Du  Barry's  orders, 
1  See  Vatel,  Vol.  ii.,  p.  380. 


212  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

than  come  to  Versailles  for  hers."  l  Which  did  not  in  the 
least  prevent  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon  from  inviting  the 
ex-favourite  to  stay  with  her  for  some  time  on  her  estate  in 
Languedoc. 

Besides  the  relatives  of  the  Countess,  the  usual  guests  at 
Saint- Vrain  were  Joseph-Honore*  de  Vares,  Marquis  de 
Fauga  and  a  friend  of  Chon  Du  Barry,  and  the  Viscount 
Adolphe,  who  was  ready  enough  to  forego  the  pleasure  of 
his  wife's  society,  but  could  not  do  without  that  of  his  aunt. 
Then  there  was  another  enthusiastic  admirer  of  her  lady- 
ship, Major  the  Viscount  de  Langle,  who  was  more  famous 
for  his  marvellous  exploits  in  love  and  war  than  for  his 
many  literary  productions.  He  was  fifty-nine  and  ugly, 
but  his  wit  and  gaiety  made  amends.  Whether  he  was  in 
love  with  the  lady  of  the  house  or  not,  he  assisted  her  in 
restoring  her  affairs  to  some  sort  of  order.  "  Walking,  and 
play  for  very  low  stakes  were  our  chief  occupation  at  Saint- 
Vrain,"  he  wrote ;  "  .  .  .  .  she  often  lost,  and  one 
evening,  being  more  unfortunate  than  usual,  doubled  her 
loss  by  trying  to  clear  it  all  at  once,  and  ended  by  owing 
me  1,500,000  livres.  She  was  the  only  one  to  feel  any 
anxiety ;  the  spectators  were  as  sure  as  I  myself  that  I 
should  continue  to  play  until  we  were  quits."  Lesser 
excitements  were  provided  when  the  children  of  her  women 
were  christened ;  she  herself  stood  godmother,  while  the  young 
Viscount,  the  Marquis  or  the  Major  was  godfather,  as  may 
still  be  seen  from  the  registers  of  the  parish  of  Saint-Vrain. 

Madame  Rancon  de  Montrab6  had  left  the  convent  of 
Sainte-Elisabeth  when  Louis  XV.  died,  and  lived  for  some 
time  in  Paris  with  her  husband.  In  September,  1775,  she 
moved  to  be  near  her  daughter,  who  had  bought  for  her, 
from  her  friend,  Buffault,  the  "  Maison  Rouge  "  close  by 
Villiers-sur-Orge.  The  chateau  was  complete  in  every  way, 
with  outhouses,  stables,  chapel,  dovecote  and  greenhouse  ; 
the  park  and  gardens  were  surrounded  by  high  walls,  as 
were  the  vineyards  and  arable  land  of  the  "  Maison  Blanche." 
The  estate  and  the  furniture  together  were  worth  53,000 
1  Belleval,  Souvenirs  d'un  chevau-ltger,  p.  120. 


A    SCURRILOUS    PAMPHLET  213 

livres,  and  to  pay  for  this  gift  to  her  mother,  Madame  Du 
Barry  sold  her  hotel  in  the  Avenue  de  Paris  to  the  Count 
de  Provence,  who  had  not  deserted  her  in  her  misfortune. 
Her  arms  above  the  great  gateway  were  replaced  by  the 
escutcheon  of  France,  one  day  to  be  torn  down  by  the 
revolutionaries.  The  deed  of  purchase  was  signed  on 
October  23  at  Louveciennes,  where  the  Countess  had  been 
allowed  to  return,  the  Court  being  at  Fontainebleau. 

This  permission  augured  well  for  her  being  permitted 
to  enjoy  more  permanent  possession  of  her  beloved  estate, 
and  she  would  have  been  perfectly  happy,  but  for  the  further 
troubles  coming  upon  her.  A  pamphlet  had  just  been 
published  in  London,  entitled  Les  Anecdotes  sur  Madame 
la  Comtesse  Du  Barry.  The  work  was  "  so  scandalously 
spicy  in  its  tone  that,  in  spite  of  there  being  no  restrictions 
on  the  book-trade,  it  was  only  sold  surreptitiously."  x 
In  daring  to  issue  such  a  book  the  author,  Pidansat  de 
Mayrobert,  took  advantage  of  his  victim's  disgrace,  but 
the  Minister  in  Attendance  wrote  to  the  Lieutenant  of 
Police :  "  Monsieur,  I  have  already  for  some  time  known 
of  the  very  evil  book  on  Madame  Du  Barry,  and  it  is  really 
important  that  it  should  not  obtain  notoriety.  You  cannot 
use  too  great  precautions  to  prevent  this  happening." 
Nevertheless  many  copies  were  put  in  circulation.  The 
preface  announces  that  the  "  author  has  found  a  subject, 
which  to  the  interest  of  history  adds  all  the  delights  of  a 
romance,"  a  statement  meaning  no  more  than  that  he  has 
interspersed  his  pitiful  inventions  with  a  few  authenticated 
facts  in  order  to  give  them  a  firmer  foundation.  Others 
were  tempted  by  his  success,  and  contributed  still  further 
to  the  mass  of  audacious  calumnies  and  incredible  slanders 
spread  abroad  by  this  petty  secretary  to  the  Duke  de 
Chartres,  a  man  who  frequented  the  society  of  Bachaumont, 
and  who,  though  well  known  in  antechambers,  was  com- 
pletely ignorant  of  Court  life. 

1  Memoires  secrets,  vol.  viii.,  pp.  198  and  220.  The  writer  remarks 
that  "  there  is  no  reason  to  believe  it  to  be  the  Sieur  Morande's 
pamphlet,  since  Beaumarchais  bought  up  the  manuscript." 


214  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

In  October,  1776,  the  Count  de  Maurepas  at  last  obtained 
full  liberty  for  his  protege,  whose  sentence  had  lasted  two 
years  and  a  half.  Her  perfect  submission  won  from  Louis 
XVI.  the  decision  that  besides  her  personal  property, 
valued  at  nearly  two  millions  in  gold  and  jewels,  Madame 
Du  Barry  should  be  allowed  to  retain  her  40,000  livres 
income  from  the  Nantes  shops,  her  life-annuity  of  105,000 
livres  from  the  Hotel  de  Ville,  and  finally  her  use  of  Louve- 
ciennes  and  its  artistic  treasures.  The  Countess  left  Saint- 
Vrain  without  regret,  especially  as  it  bore  the  unpleasant 
memory  of  three  unknown  men,  who  had  tried  to  assassinate 
her  in  her  own  room  in  broad  daylight.1 

Before  definitely  settling  at  Louveciennes,  she  spent  some 
time  in  Paris  with  Adolphe  Du  Barry,2  and  then  at  last 
took  possession  of  her  little  chateau,  from  which  she  was 
destined  to  be  so  forcibly  parted  in  1793  by  the  revolution- 
aries. Always  tactful  and  prudent,  she  tried  not  to  attract 
attention,  and  the  entertainments  she  began  giving  were 
very  discreet  in  tone,  for  Versailles  was  near,  and  she  had 
no  desire  of  their  being  heard  of  there. 

Chon  Du  Barry  accompanied  the  Countess,  to  whom  she 
was  indispensable  in  the  supervision  of  her  household. 
Among  the  friends  who  gathered  round  her  the  Viscount 
de  Langle  was  still  to  be  counted,  although  the  cordiality 
between  them  had  lessened.  The  Major  had  wanted  the 
lady  of  the  house  to  engage  as  companion  a  young  girl, 
whom  he  stated  to  be  his  daughter,  and  she  had  refused. 
He  could  not  understand  her  scruples,  grew  cold  towards 
her  and  gradually  broke  off  the  acquaintance.  But  he  was 
still  sufficiently  often  at  the  chateau  to  be  able  to  tell  who- 
ever cared  to  ask,  all  sorts  of  particulars.  "  One  day  when 
I  was  at  Limours,"  he  wrote,  "  I  met  Monsieur  de  Choiseul. 
'  You  are  often  at  Madame  Du  Barry's  ?  '  he  asked  me.  I 

1  Le  Pot  d'Auteuil  sold  the  estate  most  profitably  to  a  Monsieur 
de  Gourlade,  and  Langle  affirms  that  the  lawyer  himself  made 
195,000  livres  by  the  transaction. 

1  That  the  Countess  did  so  may  be  gathered  from  a  remark  of 
Langle  on  her  fondness  for  play,  having  met  her  at  Adolphe  Du 
Barry's  playing  trente-et-quarante. 


BACK    AT    LOUVECIENNES  215 

assented.  '  She  still  sees  much  company  ?  '  '  Yes,  monsieur 
le  Due.'  '  Do  her  servants  still  act  ?  '  '  Yes,  monsieur 
le  Due.'  '  But  has  she  a  large  enough  income  to  pay  for 
all  these  expenses  ?  '  'I  believe  so,  monsieur  le  Due.'  " 

The  Duke  de  Choiseul  had  hoped  more  from  the  new 
reign,  as  the  Duchess,  his  wife,  made  very  plain  in  the  biting 
expressions  she  aimed  at  Louis  XVI.  The  latter  was 
coming  more  and  more  under  the  domination  of  Marie 
Antoinette,  his  fascinating  Queen,  who  was  so  full  of  vivacity, 
caprice  and  charm.  At  Court  much  was  altered ;  the 
new  Court  was  even  less  wise  than  the  old,  but  full  of  youth 
and  laughter,  in  spite  of  the  three  cross-grained  old  aunts, 
who  now  were  jealous  of  the  triumphant  Queen.  The 
Count  d'Artois  thought  only  of  women,  racing  and  plays, 
and  only  incidentally  provided  the  first  scions  of  the  Royal 
House.  The  serious  and  intelligent  Count  de  Provence  was 
secretly  opposed  to  the  Queen,  and  was  seconded  by  Madame. 
The  Duchess  de  Valentinois,  who  was  so  devoted  to  the 
favourite,  had  recently  died ;  Madame  de  Forcalquier  had 
thought  it  wisest  to  retire  ;  Madame  de  Mirepoix  scarcely 
ever  left  Paris,  nor  did  the  Duchess  de  Mazarin  and  many 
others.  Their  place  had  been  taken  by  the  friends  of  Marie 
Antoinette,  and  the  libellers  altered  their  tactics,  and 
already  began  to  attack  the  young  Queen. 

Meanwhile  the  Countess  Du  Barry  received  illustrious 
visitors  in  her  charming  retreat.  In  May,  I777,*the  Emperor, 
under  the  name  of  the  Count  de  Falkenstein,  had  at  last 
undertaken  his  long-planned  journey  to  France.  The 
Queen  was  as  anxious  as  she  was  delighted,  for  the  Austrian 
Court  had  other  and  severer  traditions  than  the  French ; 
her  big  brother  always  spoke  unreservedly,  and  he  would 
find  much  to  criticise.  He  was  liked,  however,  in  spite 
of  his  affectation  of  simplicity,  and  of  his  sarcasms  on  the 
subject  of  fan*  ladies'  extravagant  fashions,  their  too  generous 
use  of  paint,  or  their  towering  coiffures.  Marie  Antoinette 
had  often  reason  to  be  offended  with  her  brother,  and 
particularly  so  on  one  occasion,  when  he  seriously  grieved 
her  by  an  excursion  to  Marly.  "  The  Count  de  Falkenstein," 


216  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

wrote  a  gazetteer,  "  being  curious  to  see  the  Countess  Du 
Barry,  but  anxious  to  do  so  without  formality,  attained  his 
object  under  the  pretext  of  visiting  her  villa  at  Luciennes 
one  day  when  he  knew  she  would  be  there.  He  stayed 
with  her,  alone,  for  two  hours,  and  has  since  said  that  she 
pleased  him  very  much,  but  that  he  had  thought  she  would 
be  better-looking."  1 

Yet  the  Countess,  now  thirty-four  years  of  age,  was  still 
very  pretty,  a  little  pale  and  worn  perhaps  after  the  suffering 
she  had  gone  through  and  the  tediousness  of  her  exile,  but 
with  a  refined  beauty  that  would  not  appeal  to  the  Teutonic 
taste  of  Joseph  II.  But  like  everyone  else  he  could  not 
resist  her  graceful  charm,  and  for  two  whole  hours  he  was 
under  her  spell.  "  As  they  proposed  to  walk  and  examine 
the  external  beauties  of  the  villa  of  Louveciennes,  the 
Prince  offered  his  arm  to  the  Countess,  who  seemed  ashamed 
of  so  much  honour,  and  vowed  she  was  not  worthy  of  it. 
'  Do  not  be  troubled,'  said  the  Emperor,  '  beauty  is  ever 
a  queen.' '  This  visit  from  the  foreign  Prince  greatly 
honoured  Madame  Du  Barry,  for  he  was  so  much  sought 
after  that  Madame  Geoffrin  said  "  she  would  die  of  grief  " 
if  he  did  not  come  to  see  her,  while  the  Marquise  Du  Deffand 
has  gloried  before  all  posterity  because  she  won  a  word  from 
Joseph  II. 

Mercy  was  astounded  at  the  event,  and  could  do  no  more 
than  give  an  account  of  it  to  Maria  Theresa,  ascribing  it 

1  Memoires  secrets,  Vol.  x.,  p.  139.  A  more  circumstantial  account 
insists  that  the  meeting  was  accidental.  "  [The  Queen]  is  once  more 
offended  and  this  is  the  cause.  The  Emperor  went  alone  on  foot  to 
see  the  engine  at  Marly ;  he  saw  a  fine  house  close  by,  and  asked 
whose  it  was.  He  was  told  it  was  the  villa  of  Louveciennes,  and  on 
his  expressing  a  wish  to  see  it,  he  was  informed  that  he  was  quite 
free  to  do  so.  The  Prince  went  through  the  apartments  and  came 
into  the  garden,  where  he  saw  a  beautiful  lady  walking  alone.  He 
asked  who  she  was,  and  was  told  that  she  was  Madame  Du  Barry, 
the  mistress  of  the  charming  dwelling.  The  Emperor  immediately 
went  up  to  her,  complimented  her,  and  walked  and  talked  with  her 
for  a  long  time.  He  returned  to  Versailles  very  pleased  at  this 
happy  accident,  on  which  he  made  several  jokes,  even  paying  some 
tribute  of  praise  to  the  fair  recluse." — Correspondence  secrete  sur  Louis 
XVI..  Vol.  i.,  p.  61. 


CHOISEUL   DISAPPOINTED  217 

entirely  to  accident.  "  The  Emperor  met  Madame  Du  Barry 
in  the  gardens,  and  conversed  with  her  a  few  minutes." 
But  the  Empress  severely  censured  her  son.1 

The  Choiseuls  hoped  to  revenge  themselves  by  the  mag- 
nificent reception  they  were  preparing  for  Joseph  II.  On 
leaving  Paris  the  illustrious  traveller  was  to  go  by  the  Loire, 
and  would  not  pass  far  from  Chanteloup.  He  was  said  to 
be  going  to  break  his  journey  there  but  he  did  nothing  of 
the  kind.  The  Duke's  many  guests  were  as  disappointed 
as  their  host.  The  minister  who  had  contrived  the  Alliance 
could  not  have  expected  such  neglect,  and  Madame  Du 
Barry's  triumph  must  have  wounded  his  vanity  still  more.2 

In  the  very  natural  pride  due  to  such  a  marked  distinction, 
the  Countess  could  afford  to  read  with  contempt  The 
English  Spy,  a  new  publication  of  which  a  highly-seasoned 
page  had  been  devoted  to  her.  Besides  she  was  at  this 
time  more  concerned  at  an  important  case  that  was  one 
day  to  inspire  the  heroine  of  the  affair  of  the  Queen's  neck- 
lace. The  Countess  was  fairly  intimate  with  a  Dame 
Cahiiet  de  Villers,  a  lady  well-born,  beautiful  and  distin- 
guished, an  artist  and  "  a  very  devil  for  intrigue."  A 
chronicler  relates  how  "  this  woman  had  become  intimately 
acquainted  with  Madame  Du  Barry,  had  since  the  death 
of  the  King  won  the  favour  of  the  Count  de  Maurepas' 
friends,  and  had  gained  some  authority  over  the  young 
Queen,  who  even  confided  to  her  various  secret  affairs  of 
minor  importance."  She  was  a  great  flirt,  and  very  extrava- 
gant. Her  husband,  who  was  Paymaster  of  the  King's 
Household,  could  not  satisfy  her  demands,  although  he  was 

1  Cf.  Boutry,  Autour  de  Marie- Antoinette,  p.  362.  The  Emperor 
did  not  stop  at  Ferney,  where  he  was  expected  by  Voltaire,  for  Maria 
Theresa  had  made  him  promise  not  to  visit  the  philosopher.  She 
wrote  to  Mercy  :  "  I  shall  not  conceal  from  you  that  I  should  much 
rather  the  Emperor  had  been  to  Chanteloup,  if  only  for  one  or  two 
hours,  without  necessarily  dining  or  staying  the  night  there.  I 
should  have  been  pleased  if  he  had  abstained  from  seeing  the  des- 
picable Du  Barry,  and  I  rejoice  with  all  my  heart  that  in  passing 
Geneva  he  avoided  meeting  the  unfortunate  Voltaire." 

1  Choiseul  only  met  Joseph  II.  once,  and  then  at  a  public  audience 
which  he  held  in  Paris. 


2i8  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

helped  in  the  task  by  her  lover,  Monsieur  de  Saint-Charles, 
the  Intendant  of  Her  Majesty's  finances.  Madame  de 
Cahiiet  went  to  see  him  every  Saturday  at  Versailles,  and 
stayed  in  his  rooms  in  the  Chateau.  Thus  she  easily  obtained 
access  to  orders  and  warrants  signed  by  Marie  Antoinette. 
She  copied  the  Queen's  handwriting,  and  wrote  herself 
letters  "  of  the  tenderest  description,"  which  she  said 
were  from  Her  Majesty.  These  she  read  to  a  few  people, 
whom  she  told  she  had  been  entrusted  with  various  purchases, 
and  even  with  important  loans,  by  the  Queen.  She  made 
many  dupes. 

Her  doings  became  known,  and  naturally  the  Queen  and 
her  supporters  were  indignant.  Mercy  drew  up  a  complaint, 
and  demanded  her  arrest,  but  the  case  was  kept  secret  in 
order  to  avoid  scandal.  "  The  full  investigation  of  this 
woman's  activities,"  wrote  the  Ambassador,  "  would  com- 
promise the  names  of  several  well-known  people,  if  the  final 
sentence  were  to  be  pronounced  by  an  ordinary  tribunal."  1 
Cahiiet  de  Villers  was  arrested  with  his  wife  on  March  18, 
1777,  but  he  was  speedily  released,  his  innocence  having 
been  proved.  On  August  5  the  culprit  was  transferred 
from  the  Bastille  to  the  convent  of  La  Croix  under  the  name 
of  Madame  de  Noyan.  Although  Madame  Du  Barry  had 
not  been  concerned  in  the  least  in  the  intrigues  of  the 
adventuress,  she  felt  some  anxiety  on  account  of  the  rela- 
tions that  had  existed  between  them,  and  certainly  she 
would  have  been  exposed  to  malevolent  attacks  if  the  case 
had  been  made  public. 

The  liaison  of  the  Countess  with  Louis-Hercule-Timoleon 
de  Brissac,  Duke  de  Cosse",  was  no  secret,  but  until  their 
almost  married  life  together,  they  showed  some  discretion 
in  concealing  their  love.  Monsieur  de  Cosse,  Lieutenant- 

1  Mercy  asserted  that  "  this  de  Villers  had  been  largely  instru- 
mental in  the  elevation  of  Madame  Du  Barry,"  but  no  confirmation 
of  his  statement  can  be  found.  Madame  Campan,  on  the  other 
hand,  said  that  even  before  Louis  XV.  died,  she  had  swindled  many 
by  passing  herself  off  as  the  King's  mistress,  whom  the  fear  of 
angering  Madame  Du  Barry  "  prevented  from  openly  enjoying  the 
title." 


DE   BRISSAC'S   FRIENDSHIP  219 

colonel  of  the  Swiss  Guards  and  Governor  of  Paris,  was  the 
son  of  the  brave  Marshal  Jean-Paul-Timoleon,  Duke  de 
Brissac  and  Peer  of  France.  The  latter  was  seventy-six 
at  the  time  of  Louis  XV. 's  death,  and  only  by  some  strange 
confusion  can  he  have  been  thought  to  be  the  lover  of 
Madame  Du  Barry.1 

In  1760  Louis-Hercule-Timoleon  had  married  Diane,  the 
second  daughter  of  the  Duke  de  Nivernais.  He  was  an 
accomplished  gentleman  with  an  affable  nobility  of 
demeanour,  in  appearance  tall  and  fair  with  fine  blue  eyes, 
as  described  by  Saint- Just  in  his  erotic  poem  Organt.  He 
had  for  long  been  counted  among  the  former  favourite's 
intimate  friends,  having  ever  since  1770  occupied  at  Ver- 
sailles a  suite  of  apartments  adjoining  hers.  Louis  XVI. 
kept  him  rather  at  a  distance  "  for  not  having  deserted 
Madame  Du  Barry  hi  her  disgrace,  after  having  courted  her 
in  her  greatness." 

He  was  very  susceptible  to  the  charm  of  women,  even 
after  the  beauty  of  the  Countess  had  fixed  his  wandering 
affections.  An  eye-witness  at  the  funeral  obsequies  of  the 
Marshal  de  Brissac  relates  how  the  son  of  the  deceased 
scandalised  a  number  of  people  by  appearing  "  bare-headed 
and  well-powdered,  without  hat  or  crape,  and  ogling  with 
most  unseasonable  affectation  the  members  of  the  fair 
sex  whom  he  passed."  For  all  his  excessive  gallantry  he 
was  a  brave  soldier  and  possessed  many  admirable  qualities. 
He  strove  to  make  life  as  agreeable  as  possible  for  his 
mistress,  and  the  large  fortune  at  his  disposal  crowned  his 
efforts  with  success.  Her  personal  luxury  became  as 
splendid  as  heretofore,  and  although  she  lived  quietly  in 
retirement,  "  she  kept  up  a  large  establishment,  though 
seeing  but  few  people,"  said  the  Duke  de  Croy,  who  visited 
her  in  1778.  "  I  found  her  still  in  good  health,  and  as 

1  This  confusion  is  the  work  of  the  Goncourts.  Their  description 
of  the  fine,  old  man,  "  whose  soul  like  his  attire  was  of  the  days  of 
Louis  XIV."  should  be  compared  with  the  Souvenirs  de  Madame 
Vigie  Le  Brun.  Louis-Hercule-Timoleon  was  forty-six  years  of 
age  in  1780,  when  he  took  the  title  of  Duke  de  Brissac  on  the  death 
of  his  father. 


220  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

always  affecting  a  higher  mode  of  life  than  was  to  be  expected. 
She  was  so  accustomed  to  expenditure  that  it  seemed  quite 
natural  to  her.  For  a  long  while  we  stood  together  on  the 
balcony  conversing  about  the  late  King,  and  I  was  most 
surprised  to  find  myself  there,  who  had  never  taken  any 
notice  of  her  in  her  ascendancy.  She  talked  very  well, 
and  one  would  never  have  suspected  what  she  once  was." 
Nor  was  she  as  "  forsaken  "  as  the  good  Duke  imagined, 
for  Monsieur  de  Cosse  sometimes  took  her  to  Paris,  where 
she  paid  visits  to  various  fashionable  drawing-rooms ;  she 
had  a  box  at  the  Opera,  and  was  present  during  the  Carnival 
festivities. 

When  Voltaire  came  to  Paris  in  February,  1778,  she  was 
one  of  his  first  visitors.  The  interview  caused  some  surprise, 
for  many  were  ignorant  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  relations 
with  the  great  man.  Not  only  was  she  a  friend  of  the 
philosopher  of  Ferney,  but  she  was  a  customer  at  his  watch 
factory  as  well.  "  On  Friday,"  wrote  the  gazetteers, 
"  Monsieur  de  Voltaire  worked  so  long  that  his  secretary 
had  no  time  to  dress.  The  Countess  Du  Barry  presented 
herself  after  dinner,  being  desirous  of  visiting  him.  The 
aged  invalid  was  with  difficulty  persuaded  to  see  her,  for 
to  appear  in  undress  and  without  preparation  wounded  his 
vanity.  He  at  last  gave  way  to  her  entreaties,  and  made 
amends  for  any  shortcomings  in  his  outward  elegance  by 
the  graces  of  his  conversation." 

As  was  to  be  expected,  there  was  a  crowd  in  the  illustrious 
philosopher's  antechamber  after  his  twenty  years'  absence 
from  Paris.  A  few  timid  spirits  hesitated  at  the  door, 
among  whom  was  a  future  member  of  the  National  Con- 
vention. Young  Brissot  wanted  to  dedicate  to  Voltaire 
his  Theorie  des  lots  criminelles,  or  at  least  to  be  sure  of  a 
letter  from  him  on  the  subject.  In  his  memoirs  he  writes  : 

I  had  hardly  reached  the  antechamber,  where  there  were 
quite  as  many  people  as  the  day  before  ;  I  heard  a  noise 
from  inside,  and  the  door  was  half  opened. 

Seized  with  my  stupid  shyness,  I  hurriedly  rushed  down- 
stairs again,  but  being  ashamed  of  myself  retraced  my  steps. 


A   NOCTURNAL   ESCAPADE  221 

A  woman,  whom  the  master  of  the  house  had  just  politely 
conducted  to  the  door,  stood  at  the  foot  of  the  stairs.  She 
was  beautiful  and  had  an  agreeable  countenance.  I  did  not 
hesitate  to  address  her,  asking  her  if  she  thought  I  could 
be  introduced  to  Voltaire,  and  ingenuously  telling  her  the 
reason  for  my  visit.  "  Monsieur  de  Voltaire  has  scarcely 
received  anyone  to-day,"  she  replied  kindly,  "  but  I  have 
just  been  granted  that  favour,  monsieur,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  you  too  will  receive  it."  And  as  if  she  divined  my 
shyness  from  my  embarrassed  air,  she  herself  called  the 
master  of  the  house,  who  had  not  yet  closed  the  door  on  her. 
I  was  caught.  She  left  me,  after  having  replied  to  my  pro- 
found salutations  with  a  most  kindly  and  encouraging 
smile.  ...  It  was  Madame  Du  Barry.  When  I 
recalled  her  sweet  and  gracious  smile,  I  felt  more  lenient 
towards  the  favourite. 

Madame  Du  Barry's  curiosity  in  another  matter  was 
satisfied  in  a  way  that  Madame  Campan  found  most  improper. 
This  summer  of  1778  was  the  time  when  the  Queen  began 
the  much  talked  of  evening  walks  in  the  gardens  of  Versailles, 
which  were  imprudently  left  open  to  the  public.  The 
Countess  wanted  to  see  for  herself  what  these  "  scandalous 
nocturnal  outings,"  described  by  the  pamphleteers,  could 
be.  She  therefore  appeared  one  evening,  accompanied 
by  one  of  her  women  and  a  footman,  in  the  park  that  had 
beheld  her  in  her  glory,  and  whither  she  now  came  closely 
veiled  and  in  secret.  She  faced  it  out,  however,  and  even 
sat  down  on  the  very  bench  where  the  Queen  was  resting  : 
but  her  tall  footman,  being  well  known  at  the  Chateau, 
betrayed  her  presence.  The  incident  was  in  no  way 
responsible  for  the  measures  taken  the  following  year  to 
keep  the  crowd  away  from  the  Princess.1 

The  hot  days  passed  without  inconvenience  to  the 
Countess,  and  the  fine  autumn  brought  her  friends  to  the 
shady  groves  of  Louveciennes,  and  even  some  former 
enemies  of  the  late  King's  court.  Her  gentleness  and 
discretion  had  won  over  all  who  had  formerly  raged  against 

1  Madame  Campan  states  that  she  recognised  the  ex-favourite's 
sister-in-law  in  the  veiled  woman  who  accompanied  her. 


222  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

her.  "  Madame  d'Ossun,  daughter  of  the  Countess  de 
Grammont  who  was  exiled,  was  there,"  wrote  the  Count 
d'Espinchal.  Monsieur  and  Madame  de  Beauvau,  too, 
were  on  intimate  terms  with  her  ladyship,  as  is  seen  in  the 
following  note  from  the  Prince  de  Beauvau,  from  which 
it  would  also  appear  that  Madame  de  Mirepoix  and  the 
Countess  were  drifting  apart  : 

How  does  Madame  la  Comtesse  feel  after  her  fatigue  ? 
Is  she  still  troubled  by  the  odour  from  the  river  ?  I  should 
be  very  grieved  were  she  not  to  enjoy  all  the  charms  of 
Louveciennes,  the  neighbourhood  of  which  is  such  a  pleasure 
to  me. 

If  we  should  have  the  honour  of  seeing  you  here,  how 
pleased  Madame  de  Beauvau  would  be  ;  but  it  were  better 
you  did  not  come  this  week,  when  Madame  de  Mirepoix 
will  be  with  us. 

Pray  accept,  Madame,  my  devoted  homage. 

In  the  little  chateau,  and  still  more  often  in  the  white 
villa  overlooking  the  Seine,  Madame  Du  Barry  entertained 
her  guests  with  supper-parties,  card-parties  or  plays.  Made- 
moiselle Chon  and  her  kinswomen  assisted  her  in  receiving 
them,  but  no  longer  was  the  young  Adolphe  Du  Barry  to 
be  seen  among  her  devoted  relatives.  He  had  left  for  Spa 
with  his  wife,  and  Sophie  de  Tournon,  his  sister-in-law. 
Their  departure  in  the  beginning  of  winter  just  when  the 
season  at  the  watering-place  was  coming  to  an  end,  caused 
some  surprise.  What  motive  could  he  have  for  leaving 
Paris  so  suddenly  ?  Was  he  at  last  tired  of  his  enslave- 
ment, weary  of  unrequited  love,  jealous  of  Brissac  and  the 
other  adorers  of  the  Countess  ?  On  the  Ridotto,  where  he 
spent  all  his  time,  he  made  the  acquaintance  of  an  Irish 
nobleman,  named  Rice,  who  was  like  himself  passionately 
devoted  to  cards,  and,  unlike  him,  very  soon  became  equally 
so  to  the  Viscountess  Du  Barry.  They  left  Spa  for  Bath, 
where  they  stayed  in  the  Royal  Crescent  with  all  their 
servants.  Adolphe  drowned  his  griefs  in  festivities  and 
supper-parties.  One  day  he  decided  that  the  attentions 
of  Rice  to  his  wife  were  unseemly,  and  after  a  violent  quarrel 


A    CRUEL   LOSS  223 

they  determined  to  fight  a  duel.  On  November  18,  at  one 
o'clock  in  the  morning,  they  met  on  the  downs  of  Claverton 
and  waited  for  the  dawn  before  they  began.  Rice  was  the 
first  to  be  wounded,  but  killed  his  adversary  by  a  shot  in 
the  breast.  Only  after  twenty-four  hours  did  the  lovely 
widow  think  of  removing  the  body  of  her  husband,  who  was 
buried  at  Bathampton. 

Madame  Du  Barry's  grief  was  great,  and  this  time  she 
received  sympathy  from  all.  The  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  who 
had  known  of  his  former  cornet's  attachment  to  her,  wrote 
to  his  friend  from  his  lonely  place  of  exile  : 

Aiguillon,  December  16,  1778. 

I  am  certain,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  that  you  have  been 
painfully  moved  by  the  cruel  loss  you  have  suffered,  and  I 
do  not  wish  to  add  to  the  grief  you  must  feel,  the  impor- 
tunity of  my  compliments.  I  have  begged  Mademoiselle 
Du  Barry  to  be  so  kind  as  to  take  my  place,  and  once  more 
assure  you  on  this  sad  occasion  of  my  sincerest  participation 
in  all  that  concerns  you.  I  flatter  myself  that  you  can  have 
no  doubt  as  to  my  feelings,  and  that  I  have  no  need  to 
repeat  my  profession  of  faith  in  this  respect,  for  you  must 
long  since  have  been  convinced  of  its  truth.  The  Viscountess 
Du  Barry  is  indeed  much  to  be  pitied  at  this  time,  but  I 
know  your  affection  for  her  too  well  not  to  be  persuaded 
that  you  will  do  all  in  your  power  to  soften  her  misfortune, 
and  that  she  will  obtain  from  you  the  help  and  considera- 
tion she  needs.  Such  a  friend  as  you  makes  amends  for  all. 
I  hope  that  the  sadness  she  will  bring  you  and  the  cares 
with  which  you  will  surround  her  may  not  affect  your 
health,  and  that  she  may  always  be  as  kind  and  brilliant 
as  I  am  told  she  is  now. 

Remember  me  always  with  kindness,  Madame  la  Comtesse, 
and  never  doubt  my  gratitude,  attachment  and  respect. 

The  Duke  d'Aiguillon. 

Madame  d'Aiguillon  begs  me  to  assure  you  of  her 
sympathy. 

But  the  young  Viscountess  had  no  need  of  consolation. 
She  was  rid  of  a  tiresome  husband,  and  she  intended  to 
draw  all  the  advantage  she  could  from  her  annoying  first 


224  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

marriage.  On  coming  to  Paris  she  proceeded,  in  a  way  not 
very  flattering  to  the  family,  to  ask  for  letters-patent,  by 
which  to  change  her  married  name  for  her  own  of  de  Tournon. 
Her  request  was  granted  and  on  February  13,  1780,  she 
reappeared  at  Court.  The  Roue,  who  had  loved  his  son, 
replied  to  the  insult.  The  memorandum  he  printed,  con- 
testing the  advantages  conferred  on  his  daughter-in-law 
by  her  marriage  contract,  was  much  admired  even  outside 
the  Court.  It  was  written  with  bitter  eloquence  in  the 
Count's  customary  elevated  style.1 

Madame  Du  Barry's  grief  was  mitigated  by  Brissac's 
constant  affection,  and  by  the  love  of  a  newcomer  in  her 
life,  Henry  Seymour.2  He  was  not,  as  has  been  stated  by 
the  Goncourts,  the  English  Ambassador  in  France,  but  a 
member  of  the  illustrious  house  of  Somerset,  and  possessed 
of  considerable  property  in  the  West  of  England.  In 
October,  1775,  he  had  taken  a  second  wife,  the  Countess 
Louise  de  Ponthon,  from  Normandy,  and  had  settled 
between  Pont-Marly  and  Louveciennes  in  the  little  chateau 
of  Prunay  which  he  had  bought.  The  gallant  Englishman 
and  his  fair  neighbour  soon  became  acquainted,  love  sprang 
up  in  their  hearts,  and  Madame  Du  Barry's  letters  to  the 
Count  relate  the  history  of  the  episode.3 

The  first  note  is  of  slight  interest,  and  only  shows  on  what 
good  terms  she  was  with  the  owners  of  Prunay.  The 
second  is  full  of  coquetry,  and  already  hints  at  her  feelings. 
"  It  has  long  been  held  that  little  attentions  keep  friendship 
alive,  and  Monsieur  Seymour  may  rest  assured  that  at 
Louveciennes  his  pleasure  is  always  thought  of.  He  seemed 
very  eager  to  possess  a  coin  that  was  foolishly  thrown  away 
on  a  little  game  of  loto.  It  dates  from  Louis  XIV.'s  time, 

1  Two  years  later  the  young  widow  married  one  of  her  kinsmen, 
Marc-Antoine  de  Tournon,  Marquis  de  Claveyron,  and  died  child- 
less, three  years  afterwards. 

1  Henry  Seymour  (1729-1805),  nephew  of  the  eighth  Duke  of 
Somerset ;  groom  of  the  bedchamber  ;  M.P.,  Totnes,  1763  ;  Hunting- 
don, 1768-74;  Evesham,  1774-80. 

*  Vatel  carefully  verified  the  accuracy  of  this  episode,  which 
had  already  been  told  by  the  Goncourts,  and  he  added  another 
unpublished  letter  to  theirs. 


A   COMPLETE   DEVOTION  225 

an  age  which  Monsieur  Seymour  greatly  admires,  and  of 
whose  wealth  of  wonders  the  ladies  of  Louveciennes  send 
him  this  little  specimen.  .  .  .  There  is  no  news  here, 
except  that  the  little  dog  is  well." 

Soon  Seymour  declared  his  passion,  and  her  ladyship 
responded  heart  and  soul.  "  The  certainty  of  your  affection, 
my  beloved  friend,  is  the  happiness  of  my  life.  Believe 
that  to  my  heart  these  two  days  are  long  indeed,  and  had  it 
the  power  to  shorten  them  I  should  suffer  no  more.  I 
expect  you  on  Saturday  with  the  impatience  of  one  who  is 
all  yours,  and  I  hope  you  will  want  for  nothing.  Farewell ! 
I  am  yours." 

Then  followed  the  usual  fluctuations  between  uncertainty 
and  hope.  Seymour  often  complained,  for  she  was  still 
divinely  fair,  and  Brissac  claimed  sole  right  over  her  coveted 
beauty.  How  tender  her  love-letters  are,  and  what  passion- 
ate eloquence  they  breathe,  the  eloquence  of  a  woman  who 
for  the  first  time  loves  with  depth  and  ardour !  She 
surrenders  herself  completely  and  avows  it  with  beautiful 
sincerity.  "  .  .  .  My  heart  is  all  yours  and  only  yours, 
and  if  I  have  in  any  way  failed  to  fulfil  my  promise,  my 
fingers  alone  are  at  fault.  I  have  been  very  indisposed 
since  you  left  me,  and  I  assure  you  I  have  been  too  weak  to 
think  of  anything  but  you.  Farewell,  my  beloved  friend, 
I  love  you  and  again  I  love  you,  and  think  myself  happy. 
I  embrace  you  a  thousand  times,  and  am  always  yours. 
Come  soon." 

But  between  them  was  jealous  Brissac  whom  they  gently 
tried  to  keep  at  a  distance.  The  prudent  and  diplomatic 
Countess  manipulated  both  the  Duke  and  Seymour,  her 
friend  and  her  adored,  and  she  played  her  difficult  double 
game  with  delicate  tact.  Each  of  the  two  men,  however, 
hated  the  other,  and  kept  close  watch  on  his  actions.  "  I 
only  send  you  one  word,"  she  wrote  to  Seymour,  "  and  that 
would  be  reproachful  had  I  the  heart  to  make  it  so.  I  am 
so  tired  from  writing  four  long  letters,  that  I  have  only  the 
strength  to  tell  you  I  love  you.  To-morrow  I  shall  let  you 
know  what  has  prevented  me  from  giving  you  my  news, 
G 


226  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

but  be  sure  that  whatever  you  may  say,  you  are  my  heart's 
one  thought.  Farewell,  I  am  too  weak  to  say  more." 

After  Seymour  and  his  reproaches  came  Brissac  with  his 
suspicions.  "  I  am  not  going  to  Paris  to-day,"  wrote  the 
lady  of  Louveciennes  to  Prunay,  "  because  the  person  whom 
I  intended  to  see,  came  here  on  Tuesday  just  after  you  had 
left.  His  visit  has  greatly  distressed  me,  for  I  believe  you 
were  its  object.  Farewell,  I  expect  you  with  the  impatience 
of  a  heart  that  is  all  yours,  and  that  in  spite  of  your  injustice, 
knows  too  well  that  it  can  never  be  another's.  I  think  of 
you,  and  tell  you  so,  and  tell  you  again,  and  only  regret  that 
I  may  not  tell  you  so  for  ever." 

Henry  Seymour  would  not  brook  even  the  thought  of 
sharing  her  favour,  and  broke  off  their  short  liaison,  regard- 
less of  the  tears  he  made  her  weep.  Madame  Du  Barry 
wrote  him  her  last  letter  in  despair.  "  There  is  no  use  in 
writing  of  my  tenderness  and  affection  for  you,  which  you 
know.  But  what  you  do  not  know  is  my  suffering.  You 
have  not  deigned  to  reassure  me  on  that  which  so  closely 
concerns  my  soul,  and  I  must  then  believe  that  my  peace 
and  happiness  are  of  little  moment  to  you.  I  speak  of  it 
with  regret,  but  it  is  the  last  time.  What  good  is  it  that  my 
head  is  well  when  I  am  sick  at  heart  ?  Yet  with  earnestness 
and  courage  I  shall  succeed  in  mastering  my  pain,  though 
to  do  so  is  a  hard  and  woeful  task.  But  it  is  necessary, 
and  is  the  one  remaining  sacrifice  I  must  make.  My 
heart  has  made  all  the  rest ;  this  is  for  my  reason  to  under- 
take. Farewell,  and  believe  that  you  alone  will  always  fill 
my  heart." 

Time  brought  oblivion  to  her  mobile  nature  and  gently 
healed  her  wound.  The  Duke  took  her  to  his  estate  in 
Normandy  in  order  to  separate  her  from  his  rival.  She 
came  to  Bayeux,  where  the  Conde  Regiment,  commanded  by 
her  brother-in-law,  Du  Barry  d'Hargicourt,  was  garrisoned, 
and  grand  military  entertainments  were  held  in  her  honour. 
The  sham  fight  organised  in  the  neighbourhood  attracted 
a  considerable  crowd  ;  a  magnificent  ball  was  given  by  the 
officers  of  the  regiment,  at  which  every  one  of  note  in  the 


A   GENEROUS   TREASURY  227 

country  round  was  present,  unafflicted  by  scruples  as  to 
welcoming  the  former  mistress  of  Louis  XV. 

Madame  Du  Barry  retained,  it  is  clear,  some  of  her 
prestige  as  well  as  all  her  charm.  Adolphe's  friend,  Monsieur 
de  Belle val,  visited  her  at  Louveciennes  in  1783,  and  said 
she  was  as  beautiful  as  she  had  been  in  1769.  "  I  had  not 
seen  her  for  eight  years,  but  I  had  only  to  mention  my 
name,  and  she  exclaimed,  as  she  used,  '  Ah  !  my  redcoat.' 
But  instead  of  bursting  into  the  happy  peal  of  laughter  of 
former  days,  the  tears  came  to  her  eyes  ;  I  reminded  her  of 
the  past  and  all  that  she  had  lost." 

Yet,  were  it  not  for  her  love-tragedy,  Madame  Du  Barry 
had  every  reason  to  be  happy.  Her  friends  surrounded 
her  with  affectionate  care,  Brissac  was  more  and  more 
deeply  in  love,  and  only  thought  of  satisfying  the  extrava- 
gant desires  of  his  beloved.  Moreover  she  was  profiting 
by  an  excessive  liberality  on  the  part  of  the  State.  The 
pension  of  fifty  thousand  livres,  that  she  enjoyed  by  a  decree 
of  December  31,  1769,  was  returned  to  the  King,  who 
allowed  her  hi  exchange  a  capital  of  one  million  two  hundred 
and  fifty  thousand  livres.  The  transaction  was  highly 
disadvantageous  to  the  Treasury,  but  its  possibility  is 
explained  by  the  date  (April  23,  1784)  of  the  deed ;  Necker 
would  certainly  have  refused  the  Countess  such  a  favour,  but 
his  successor,  Calonne,  was  the  most  wasteful  of  ministers, 
and  had  been  devoted  to  Madame  Du  Barry  ever  since  they 
had  fought  the  Breton  Parliament  together  on  d'Aiguillon's 
behalf.  | 

At  this  time,  too,  Marie  Antoinette  was  beginning  to  lose 
her  prejudice  against  the  Countess,  and  with  a  greater 
experience  of  life  was  able  to  judge  her  more  leniently. 
"  Her  good  behaviour,"  wrote  one  of  Madame  Du  Barry's 
friends,  "  had  inspired  the  Queen  with  the  desire  to  meet 
her.  The  Opera  Ball  was  a  convenient  opportunity  for 
gratifying  this  wish.  The  Duke  de  Choiseul  was  there,  and 
the  fact  that  they  were  masked  enabled  these  three  people 
to  converse  in  one  of  the  boxes  for  several  hours.  The 
Queen  was  very  pleased  with  Madame  Du  Barry's  explana- 


228  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

tions,  and  showed  such  satisfaction  with  her  good  conduct 
that,  on  leaving,  Her  Majesty  gave  her  permission  to  turn 
to  her  on  every  occasion  and  at  any  time  when  she  could 
be  useful  to  her,  of  which  favour  the  Countess  has  since 
successfully  availed  herself.  As  I  witnessed  the  whole 
proceeding  at  the  Opera  Ball,  I  spent  the  next  day  at 
Luciennes  and  the  Countess  told  me  all  these  particulars."  * 
This  interview,  through  which  the  Court  became  recon- 
ciled with  Madame  Du  Barry,  probably  took  place  after  the 
purchase  of  Saint-Cloud.  The  ex-favourite  was  instru- 
mental in  satisfying  the  Queen's  desire  to  possess  the 
chateau,  as  has  been  related  by  the  Marquis  de  Bouille  in 
his  memoirs.  "  When  the  Queen  wanted  the  King  to  give 
her  Saint-Cloud,  the  Duke  d'Orleans,  to  whom  the  Chateau 
belonged,  asked  a  price  (ten  millions,  I  believe),  that  Louis 
XVI.  considered  exorbitant ;  and  in  spite  of  his  wish  to 
gratify  the  Queen's  fancy,  he  refused  to  make  such  a  sacrifice. 
The  Baron  de  Breteuil,  then  Minister  of  the  King's  House- 
hold, was  devoted  to  the  Queen's  interests,  and  tried  in 
vain  every  means  of  making  the  Duke  lessen  his  demands. 
At  last  he  thought  of  applying  to  Madame  Du  Barry  and 
charging  her  with  the  negotiation  of  the  business  through 
the  Duke  de  Brissac,  over  whom  she  exercised  great  sway, 
and  who  in  turn  had  much  influence  over  Madame  de 
Montesson,  the  unacknowledged  wife  of  the  Prince.  Madame 
Du  Barry  was  eager  to  do  all  in  her  power  to  satisfy  the 
Queen's  wishes,  and  induced  Monsieur  de  Brissac  to  win  the 
interest  of  Madame  de  Montesson  by  flattering  promises 
from  the  Court.  The  latter  persuaded  the  Duke  to  lower 
his  price  by  two  or  three  millions,  and  the  Chateau  of  Saint- 
Cloud  became  the  property  of  the  Queen."  2 

1  This  account  is  by  the  Count  d'Espinchal.  He  adds  that 
"  after  this  event,  several  women  at  Court,  among  them  some  who 
had  hitherto  opposed  her  .  .  .  visited  Madame  Du  Barry  at 
Louveciennes,  and  were  pleased  with  her  good  taste,  manners  and 
demeanour." 

*  Souvenirs  du  Marquis  de  Bouille,  Vol.  II.,  p.  112.  The  diffi- 
culties of  acquiring  Saint-Cloud  were  described  by  the  Queen's 
Secretary,  who  did  not  seem  to  have  heard  of  Madame  Du  Barry's 
intervention.  Memoires  secrets  de  J.-M.  Augeard,  pp._i34-i4O. 


A   NEW   FRIEND 


229 


Madame  Du  Barry's  intervention  in  this  delicate  trans- 
action won  her  another  friend  and  protector  in  Monsieur 
de  Breteuil,  who  had  staked  his  pride  on  succeeding.  The 
Queen,  too,  did  not  hesitate  to  give  her  personal  support  to 
the  Countess,  when  the  latter  was  driven  by  her  brother-in- 
law's  pressing  demands  for  help  to  make  further  applica- 
tions to  the  Treasury.1  Calonne  himself  pointed  out  to  her 
the  means  of  attaining  her  ends.  "  If  you  believe,"  he 
wrote  to  her,  "  that  Monsieur  de  Breteuil  is  willing  to  under- 
take to  lay  before  the  Queen  a  petition  from  you,  far  be  it 
from  me  to  disapprove  of  your  trying  this  method,  which 
alone  can  put  me  in  a  position  to  give  the  King  another 
account  of  your  situation."  De  Breteuil  also  did  Madame 
Du  Barry  the  service  of  ridding  her  of  the  Roue  for  a  while 
by  a  severe  reprimand  which  made  the  importunate  man 
see  reason,  at  least  temporarily. 

The  Baron  de  Breteuil  became  a  regular  visitor  at  Lou- 
veciennes  and  among  the  papers  of  the  Countess  may  be  found 
some  charming  notes  from  the  minister.  For  instance,  on 
September  18,  1785,  he  wrote  to  her  : 

In  spite  of  my  lively  impatience  to  come  and  see  you, 
Madame  la  Comtesse,  I  am  compelled  to  be  satisfied  with 
asking  for  news  of  you.  The  circumstance  has  provoked 
me,  and  I  trust  that  you  will  share  my  feeling,  for  my 
sentiments  towards  you  assure  me  of  yours  for  me.  You 
know  that  on  the  28th  I  have  the  honour  of  receiving  the 
King  and  Queen.  I  am  anxious  that  fair  weather  should 
favour  my  little  entertainment,  but  fear  the  time  of  year ; 
as  always,  there  is  something  to  disturb  the  most  agreeable 
expectations.  I  am  surer  now,  after  a  week,  than  ever,  that 
the  pleasure  of  spending  a  few  hours  with  you  is  balanced 
by  the  pain  of  not  having  repeated  that  happiness.  My 
sincere  devotion  must  persuade  you  of  the  truth  of  my 
feeling. 

1  The  Roue  had  married  again  and  returned  to  Paris.  The 
Correspondence  secrete  gives  an  account  of  how  he  succeeded  in 
obtaining  from  the  Minister  of  Finance  the  sum  of  three  hundred 
thousand  livres  said  to  be  due  to  his  sister-in-law,  and  how  he  then 
compelled  her  by  threats  to  lend  him  20,000. 


230  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

As  she  kept  open  house,  and  her  friends  were  always 
welcome,  Monsieur  de  Breteuil  invited  himself  to  her  with 
charming  familiarity.  "  I  am  sending,  Madame  la  Comtesse, 
to  find  out  if  you  will  let  me  come  to  dinner  to-day.  I  shall 
have  as  much  pleasure  in  spending  the  day  with  you  as  I  have 
in  assuring  you  of  my  sincere  friendship."  *  Such  was  the 
note  struck  in  all  the  correspondence  between  the  courtiers 
and  this  woman  of  perfect  distinction.  Some  idea  of  the 
delightful  intercourse  at  Louveciennes  is  given  by  the 
following  lines  from  the  Marquis  d'Armaille,  who  wanted 
to  prolong  the  intimate  and  at  the  same  time  affected 
conversation  of  the  previous  day  : 

Paris,  June  12,  1786. 

If  you  have  any  need  of  a  cavalier,  Madame  la  Comtesse, 
I  am  at  your  service.  Until  yesterday  I  was  acquainted 
with  some  only  of  your  charming  qualities  ;  since  then  you 
have  taught  me  what  pleasure  you  take  in  conferring 
favours.  It  is  a  great  thing,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  to  be 
beautiful,  charming  and  essential,  yes,  essential.  I  have  no 
need  to  tell  you  that  I  never  leave  Luciennes  without 
regret ;  how  can  I  control  the  inclinations  of  my  heart  ? 
I  was  anxious  about  my  invalid,  whom  I  have  not  found  at 
all  well.  You  remember  that  in  winter,  when  the  weather 
is  not  so  fine,  I  left  later,  or  not  at  all. 

Here,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  is  a  sketch  of  the  affair  about 
which  I  spoke  to  you  yesterday,  when  you  showed  such 
charming  readiness  to  oblige.  I  shall  certainly  come  as 
soon  as  I  can,  to  talk  more  of  it  and  thank  you  again. 

I  have  prayed  that  the  King  in  his  own  interests  will  not 
take  Monsieur  de  Calonne  with  him  to  Cherbourg.  I  shall 
surely  have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  soon,  for  had  I  no 
more  than  four  free  hours  a  day,  I  should  spend  one  of  them 
with  you.  One  would  gladly  spend  all  one's  life  with  you, 
Madame  la  Comtesse,  even  at  the  risk  of  that  which  I 
mentioned  yesterday.  You  are  the  exception  to  the  rule  ; 
to  know  you  and  to  be  devoted  to  you  are  synonymous 
terms. 

1  A  third  note  shows  that  Monsieur  de  Breteuil  had  the  happiness 
of  in  turn  receiving  his  fair  neighbour  of  Louveciennes  in  his  house 
at  Saint-Cloud. 


A   SPARTAN    REGIME  231 

Be  pleased  to  accept,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  the  assurance 
of  my  gratitude  and  attachment. 

Le  Marquis  d'Armaille. 

Madame  Du  Barry  did  more  than  receive  visitors  in  her 
delightful  chateau,  where  people  so  gladly  lingered.  She 
herself  was  much  sought  after  on  every  side.  Those  who 
knew  her  wanted  her  for  the  charm  of  her  society,  while 
many  strangers  of  note  or  people  from  the  provinces  staying 
in  Paris,  were  curious  to  see  what  she  was  like.  "  We  were 
dying  to  know  the  famous  Madame  Du  Barry,"  wrote 
Dufort  de  Cheverny,  a  former  protege  of  Madame  de  Pompa- 
dour, and  a  friend  of  the  Choiseuls.  The  Count  and  Countess 
de  Cheverny  were  then  staying  in  Paris  as  the  guests  of 
Don  Olavides,  Count  de  Pilos,  who  had  made  his  escape 
from  the  dungeons  of  the  Inquisition  where  he  had  suffered 
three  years'  imprisonment,  a  circumstance  that  apparently 
won  him  genuine  respect  from  the  compassionate  Madame 
Du  Barry.  The  Count  de  Cheverny  continued : 

So  we  fixed  on  a  date,  and  the  Count  undertook  to  ask 
her  if  she  would  dine  wkh  him  that  day.  She  was  living 
in  the  charming  house  of  Luciennes  that  Louis  XV.  had 
given  her,  and  Louis  XVI.  had  allowed  her  to  keep.  We 
joined  the  small  company  on  the  appointed  day,  which  was 
bitterly  cold.  The  Countess  arrived  in  a  coach-and-six, 
and  entered,  bearing  herself  with  ease  and  dignity.  She  was 
tall,  had  a  beautiful  figure,  and  was  hi  every  respect  a  very 
pretty  woman.  At  the  end  of  a  quarter  of  an  hour  she  was 
as  much  at  her  ease  with  us  as  we  were  at  ours  with  her. 
My  wife  was  the  only  other  woman  present,  and  all  Madame 
Du  Barry's  attentions  were  for  her  and  the  master  of  the 
house.  Her  manner  towards  everyone  was  kindliness  and 
affability  itself.  The  President  de  Salaberry  and  his  nephew, 
the  Chevalier  de  Pontgibaud,  were  there,  as  well  as  several 
others.  She  led  the  conversation,  and  spoke  first  of 
Luciennes.  We  knew  that  it  was  a  charming  place,  as  luxu- 
rious and  magnificent  as  it  was  tastefully  arranged.  .  .  . 
Her  pretty  face  was  slightly  flushed ;  she  told  us  that  she 
took  a  cold  bath  every  day.  She  showed  us  that  under  her 
long  cloak  she  only  wore  a  shift  and  a  very  light  evening- 


232  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

gown.  Everything  she  had  on  was  made  with  the  magni- 
ficent costliness  to  which  her  former  splendour  had  accus- 
tomed her,  and  I  have  never  seen  such  beautiful  cambric. 
.  .  .  The  dinner-party  was  delightful,  and  she  carried 
all  before  her.  .  .  . 

Conversation  after  dinner  was  more  serious  ;  I  brought  up 
several  subjects  that  concerned  her  particularly,  and  her 
candour  was  most  attractive.  With  regard  to  the  Duke 
de  Choiseul,  she  expressed  regret  at  not  having  enjoyed  his 
friendship.  She  told  us  of  all  the  trouble  she  had  been  put 
to  in  attempting  to  win  it,  and  said  that,  but  for  his  sister, 
the  Duchess  de  Grammont,  she  would  have  succeeded. 
She  complained  of  no  one,  and  said  nothing  spiteful.  .  .  . 

At  six  o'clock  she  left  us  ...  leaving  behind  her 
the  impression  that,  with  unexampled  good-nature,  she 
had  had  the  sense  to  return  to  a  less  pretentious  station 
in  life,  and  that  she  must  have  been  an  altogether  delightful 
mistress.  We  were  no  longer  surprised  at  the  part  she  had 
played  in  the  life  of  a  man  of  sixty-four  years,  who  was 
weary  of  every  pleasure.  Her  conversation  left  no 
disagreeable  after-taste.  We  dined  a  second  time  in  her 
company  in  the  house  of  the  Count  de  Pilos.1 

Far  from  rousing  prejudice  against  her,  the  liaison  of  the 
Countess  with  the  Duke  de  Brissac  was  an  effective  means 
of  preventing  adverse  public  opinion.  Such  arrangements 
were  in  the  fashion,  and  all  that  was  asked  was  that  the 
parties  to  them  should  exercise  discretion ;  nor  had  the 
Duke  and  the  ex-favourite  any  inclination  to  offend  against 
outward  propriety.2  She  used  to  come  in  the  evenings  to 

1  Mtmoires  du  Dufort,  Comte  de  Cheverny,  Introducteuv  des  arnbassa- 
deurs,  Paris,  1886.  Vol.  II.,  p.  22. 

1  De  Brissac  lived  on  perfectly  good  terms  with  his  wife,  whose 
letters  to  him  show  that  she  was  not  in  the  least  disturbed  at  his 
liaison  with  Madame  Du  Barry.  His  daughter,  the  Duchess  de 
Mortemart,  was  as  certainly  a  friend  of  the  Countess,  as  may  be  seen 
from  the  two  following  notes.  They  probably  date  from  1788, 
as  indeed  Madame  de  Mortemart  herself  indicated  in  a  letter  of 
1791. 

"  Madame  de  Mortemart  has  the  honour  to  present  Madame  la 
Comtesse  Du  Barry  a  thousand  compliments,  and  begs  her  to  be  so 
kind  as  to  give  her  news  of  Monsieur  her  father ;  she  would  have  sent 
before  to  Luciennes,  had  she  not  feared  to  trouble  Madame  la 


A   SERIOUS   AFFAIR  233 

the  fine  hotel  de  Brissac  in  the  rue  de  Grenelle-Saint- 
Germain,  where  she  had  her  suite  of  rooms  next  to  those 
of  the  owner.  The  Duke  was  a  lover  of  art,  and  one  of  its 
most  ardent  patrons  ;  he  owned  an  extremely  fine  collection 
of  treasures,  that  wealth  and  good  taste  had  enabled  him 
to  acquire.  In  the  house  of  her  friend  Madame  Du  Barry 
found  many  a  thing  to  please  her  £esthetic  fancy ;  it  reminded 
her  of  her  own  Louveciennes,  though  extended  and  ampli- 
fied. The  picture  gallery  boasted  several  representatives 
of  the  Italian  and*  Dutch  schools,  and  among  the  many 
portraits  adorning  the  walls  of  the  large  salons  was  more 
than  one  depicting  the  fair  lineaments  of  his  beloved.  On 
pieces  of  furniture  by  Boule,  enriched  with  gilt  bronze,  stood 
old  Chinese  and  Japanese  porcelain,and  sea-green  pedestals 
or  porphyry  columns  supported  bronze  and  marble  statu- 
ary.1 The  books  in  the  library  were  stamped  with  his 
arms  ;  sable,  three  bars  or,  indented  on  the  lower  side. 
The  Duke,  who  was  a  great  reader  and  very  well-informed, 
took  the  part  of  the  philosophers,  and  supported  their  novel 
ideas.  He  initiated  his  mistress  in  the  new  tendencies  of 
thought,  thus  preparing  her  for  a  second  political  career, 
and  she  showed  herself  an  apt  and  serious  pupil.  "  Since 
her  retirement,"  wrote  the  Count  d'Espinchal,  "  reading  has 
next  to  her  toilette  been  her  chief  occupation." 

The  affair  of  the  Queen's  necklace  interrupted  the  even 
tenour  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  existence.  She  was  indeed 
only  indirectly  concerned  in  the  matter,  even  though  the 
famous  necklace,  which  Rohan  bought  as  he  supposed  at 
the  Queen's  desire,  was  originally  intended  by  the  jeweller 
Boehmer  for  the  Countess.  But  much  might  be  feared 

Comtesse  Du  Barry,  and  begs  her  to  accept  the  assurance  of  her 
derotion." 

"  Pray  accept,  Madame,  all  my  thanks  for  your  kindness,  and  my 
regret  at  having  to  deny  myself  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  before 
my  departure.  I  am  deeply  grieved  at  the  thought  of  not  seeing 
my  father  for  so  long  a  time,  and  at  not  being  permitted  to  embrace 
him  outside  Paris  before  I  leave  him.  But  we  must  be  resigned, 
since  nothing  else  remains  to  us." 

1  The  inventory  of  the  Duke  de  Brissac's  collection  has  been 
published  by  Vatel. 


234  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

from  the  chief  culprit,  Madame  de  la  Motte  de  Valois,  who 
in  her  attacks  implicated  not  only  her  dupe  the  Cardinal 
Prince  Louis,  but  also  all  who  were  in  the  least  connected 
with  this  grievous  affair. 

On  December  12, 1785,  Madame  Du  Barry  was  summoned 
to  appear  before  the  examining  chamber,  sitting  at  the 
Bastille,  which  was  then  transformed  into  a  judiciary  prison. 
She  declared  that  she  "  had  no  knowledge  of  the  circum- 
stances enumerated,  other  than  of  the  fact  that  about  three 
years  ago,  Madame  de  la  Motte  came  to  beg  for  her  favour 
and  protection.  She  wished  for  her  help  in  laying  before 
the  King  a  petition  in  which  she  besought  His  Majesty  to 
allow  her  to  resume  possession  of  estates,  that  had  formerly 
belonged  to  her  family,  but  had  returned  to  the  Crown. 
.  .  ."  The  suppliant  "  wearied  the  Countess  with  her 
tears,"  and  the  latter  finally  took  the  document,  "  and  put 
it  on  the  mantelpiece  with  the  fixed  intention  of  leaving  the 
matter  at  that."  In  fact  she  burnt  it.  But  when  she  heard 
that  the  accused  signed  her  letters  "  Marie-Antoinette  de 
France,"  she  thought  she  remembered  that  the  petition 
left  on  her  hands  bore  the  same  signature.  If  this  were 
so,  the  accusation  of  attempted  forgery  would  fall  to  the 
ground.  "  The  witness  made  these  remarks  before  several 
people,  without  thinking  that  any  conclusions  might  be 
drawn  from  them."  1 

They  could,  in  fact,  almost  have  acquitted  the  accused, 
had  she  not  refused  to  make  use  of  them.  She  replied 
insolently,  denying  the  existence  of  the  petition,  and  asserted 
that  she  had  only  left  a  genealogical  document  with  the 
Countess.  The  gazetteers  dilated,  as  usual,  upon  the  theme 
of  the  evidence  of  the  former  favourite,  who  was  once  more 
unsparingly  libelled.  Madame  de  la  Motte  felt  humiliated 
at  evidence  which  pictured  her,  the  proud  descendant  of 
the  Valois,  as  a  suppliant  before  a  Du  Barry.  In  her 
memoirs,  which  were  published  in  London  after  her  escape 
from  the  Salpe'triere,  she  distorted  the  facts  as  follows  : 

1  See  Vatel,  Vol.  III.,  p.  412.  M.  Funck-Brentano  in  his  L'affaire- 
du  Collier  (Paris,  1901),  has  not  mentioned  the  Du  Barry  episode. 


THE   MONARCHY    IN   DANGER  235 

"  I  cannot  resist  the  temptation  to  say  a  few  words  on  the 
part  the  Dowager  Queen  was  made  to  play,  the  immaculate 
Du  Barry  of  conventual  memory.  This  woman's  evidence 
affirmed  that  I  had  come  to  ask  for  her  protection,  and  that 
I  had  left  with  her  a  petition,  signed  Marie- Antoinette  de 
France.  The  truth  is  that  I  only  went  to  see  her  out  of 
curiosity,  in  a  good  coach-and-four.  When  we  met  she 
thought  fit  to  take  up  an  attitude  of  haughty  impudence, 
but  I  soon  put  her  in  her  place  by  making  her  feel  the  distance 
between  her  birth  and  mine.  .  .  ." 

Madame  Du  Barry  followed  with  emotion  every  detail 
of  the  lawsuit,  that  was,  in  spite  of  all,  destined  to  stain  the 
fair  fame  of  the  Queen  of  France,  and  violently  to  shake  the 
serenity  of  the  throne,  just  at  the  time  when  monarchy  was 
approaching  a  crisis.  Women,  and  among  them  the  Countess, 
secretly  sympathised  with  the  handsome  Cardinal,  Louis 
de  Rohan,  who  was  deeply  in  love  with  Her  Majesty.  But 
Madame  Du  Barry  was  troubled  at  her  name  being  mixed 
up  in  the  notorious  affair,  for  above  all  she  feared  to  become 
an  object  of  public  attention,  and  she  jealously  guarded  her 
peaceful  retirement.  Madame  Le  Bran,  who  made  her  first 
stay  at  Louveciennes  in  1786,  has  described  the  daily  life 
of  its  mistress  : 

Both  by  word  and  deed  she  showed  her  goodness  of 
heart,  and  she  did  much  good  at  Louveciennes,  where  she 
succoured  all  the  poor.  We  often  visited  some  unfor- 
tunate person  together,  and  I  still  remember  her  righteous 
indignation  one  day  when,  seeing  a  poor  woman  in  child- 
bed who  lacked  every  necessity,  "  What,"  asked  Madame 
Du  Barry,  "  you  have  no  linen,  nor  wine,  nor  soup  ?  " 
"  Alas,  nothing,  Madame."  We  immediately  returned  to 
the  chateau,  and  she  sent  for  the  housekeeper  and  the  other 
servants  who  had  not  carried  out  her  orders.  I  cannot 
describe  the  passion  with  which  she  reprimanded  them,  all 
the  while  making  them  put  together  a  bundle  of  the  neces- 
sary linen,  which  they  had  to  take  at  once  to  the  poor 
invalid,  as  well  as  some  soup  and  claret. 

Every  day  after  dinner  coffee  was  served  in  the  villa  that 
was  so  celebrated  for  the  taste  and  magnificence  of  its 


236  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

decorations.  The  first  time  Madame  Du  Barry  showed  it 
me,  she  said  :  "In  this  room  Louis  XV.  did  me  the  honour 
of  dining.  .  .  .  The  drawing-room  was  enchanting ; 
it  had  the  finest  possible  view,  and  the  mantelpieces  and 
doors  were  most  beautifully  worked ;  the  locks  might  be 
taken  for  masterpieces  of  goldsmiths'  work,  and  the 
richness  and  the  elegance  of  the  furniture  surpassed 
description. 

Brissac,  who  was  sometimes  present  at  the  sittings,  was 
to  own  the  portrait  the  artist  was  painting  of  her  ladyship, 
"  a  small  three-quarter  length,  in  a  morning-gown  and  a 
straw  hat."  By  a  coquettish  whim  of  her  sitter,  the  costume 
and  arrangement  were  copied  from  the  most  precious 
miniature  of  her  youth,  that  of  Lawreince,  thus  inviting 
a  comparison  from  which  the  second  portrait  scarcely 
suffered  at  all.  She  was  "  tall,  but  not  too  much  so ; 
her  proportions  were  generous,  and  her  figure  perhaps 
too  full,  but  very  beautiful.  Her  face  was  still  charming, 
her  features  graceful  and  regular  ;  her  grey  hair  curled 
like  a  child's ;  only  her  complexion  was  beginning  to 
spoil." 

Madame  Le  Brun  returned  two  years  later  to  make  a 
second  portrait  of  the  lady  of  Louveciennes.  This  time  the 
Countess  wore  white  satin,  and  was  depicted  holding  a 
coronet  and  supporting  her  arm  on  a  pedestal.  Madame 
Le  Brun  was  again  given  the  rooms  with  the  outlook  on  the 
Marly  engine,  whose  "  trying  noise  "  disturbed  her  so  much. 
But  she  admired  the  quantity  of  precious  things  collected 
in  a  gallery  close  by.  "  One  could  have  imagined  it  to  be 
a  room  belonging  to  the  mistress  of  many  monarchs,  who  had 
all  enriched  her  with  their  gifts." 

The  artist  loved  animation  and  company,  and  did  not 
find  enough  of  either  at  Louveciennes.  The  society  of 
Brissac  was  not  sufficient,  to  her  mind,  nor  was  that  of 
Monsieur  de  Monville,  "  an  agreeable  and  most  elegant 
man,"  who  came  occasionally  to  visit  his  friend  of  twenty 
years'  standing.  The  attractive  Countess  de  Souza,  wife 
of  the  Portuguese  Ambassador,  and  the  Marquise  de  Brunoy 


MADAME   VICEE   LE   BRUN 
From  an  engraving 


TIPPOO'S   EMBASSY  237 

were  the  only  women  on  intimate  terms  with  the  mistress 
of  the  chateau.1  But  in  spite  of  this  quiet  mode  of  life, 
Louveciennes  was  the  scene  of  a  most  original  reception 
at  which  Madame  Le  Brun  was  present.  The  envoys  of 
Tippoo  Sahib,  Sultan  of  Mysore,  who  had  been  sent  to 
petition  France  for  help  against  England,  had  thought  it 
their  duty  to  lay  the  gifts  of  their  sovereign  with  great 
ceremony  at  the  feet  of  the  ex-favourite.  The  fame  of  the 
beautiful  mistress  had  crossed  the  seas  and  reached  as  far 
as  India,  and  no  doubt  they  still  believed  she  possessed 
some  influence.2  They  spread  before  her  oriental  treasures 
that  were  worthy  of  her  beauty,  and  among  them  were  some 
marvellous  muslins.  She  hastened  to  offer  Madame  Le 
Brun  a  roll  of  the  precious  stuff,  "  embroidered  with  large 
detached  flowers  in  perfectly  shaded  colours  and  gold." 
Years  later,  under  the  Consulate,  the  artist  was  unexpectedly 
invited  to  a  large  ball,  and  she  made  a  dress  of  the  Eastern 
material  that  reminded  her  of  the  gracious  hospitality  she 
had  enjoyed  in  the  past. 

About  this  time  Madame  Du  Barry  lost  two  dear  friends, 
Richelieu  and  his  nephew,  d'Aiguillon.  The  Marshal  died 
in  August,  1788,  at  the  age  of  ninety-four,  having  been  three 
times  married  :  first  under  Louis  XIV.,  at  the  age  of  fifteen, 
then  under  Louis  XV.,  and  lastly  under  Louis  XVI.,  when 
eighty  years  of  age.  To  the  very  end  of  his  life  he  had  filled 
the  annals  of  his  day  with  all  kinds  of  amorous  adventures. 
But  old  age  and  different  customs  had  made  his  last  days 
lonely,  and  Madame  Du  Barry  was  almost  the  only  one  to 

1  Madame  de  Souza,  n&e  Canillac,  was  a  Frenchwoman,  whom  the 
Portuguese  Ambassador,  Don  Vincent  de  Souza  Coutinho,  had 
married  for  love  in  1773.  She  died  in  January,  1792.  Her  husband 
has  often  been  confused  with  the  Souza,  also  an  Ambassador,  who 
married  Madame  de  Flahaut. 

1  A  letter  from  the  Marquise  de  Boisseson,  Madame  Du  Barry's 
niece,  written  at  Metz  on  August  24,  1788,  refers  to  this  event: 

"  Tippoo  Sahib's  Ambassadors  will  thus  take  back  to  India, 
Madame,  the  idea  for  a  new  marvel,  your  villa  on  the  hill ;  the  news 
of  the  charming  way  in  which  you  have  received  them  has  reached 
me  here.  I  should  have  liked  to  see  you  do  the  honours  of  your 
villa." 


238  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

mourn  his  loss.  September  i  of  the  following  year  witnessed 
the  death  of  "  the  most  high  and  mighty  Seigneur,  Em- 
manuel-Armand-Duplessis  de  Richelieu,  Duke  d'Aiguillon, 
Peer  of  France,  Count  d'Agenois,  etc.,"  in  his  hotel  in  the 
rue  de  1'Universite.  Again  the  vault  at  the  Sorbonne  was 
opened,  and  again  the  Countess  came  to  pray  at  the  grave 
of  the  Richelieus. 

Soon  she  suffered  a  more  cruel  loss,  for  on  October  20, 
1788,  her  mother  died.  Madame  Ran$on  left  all  her  property 
to  her  niece  Betzy,  the  daughter  of  Jean  Becu,  and  now 
Marquise  de  Boisseson,  and  as  executor  she  appointed 
Monsieur  de  Boisseson,  Lieutenant-colonel  of  the  Cond6 
Dragoon  regiment.  Madame  Du  Barry,  as  a  natural  child, 
had  no  claim  to  the  inheritance,  but  the  husband  of  the 
deceased  ought  not  to  have  been  forgotten.  To  make 
amends,  the  Countess  gave  him  an  annuity  of  2,000  livres, 
her  liberality  having  "  for  object  to  convince  the  Sieur 
Nicolas  Rancon  de  Montrabe",  formerly  in  Government 
service,  of  her  gratefulness  for  his  constant  kindness  to 
Dame  Anne  Becu,  his  wife,  ...  as  well  as  to  the  said 
Dame  Du  Barry,  on  various  occasions,  when  she  had 
reason  to  recognise  the  good  qualities  of  the  said  Sieur 
de  Montrabe",  as  well  as  his  absolute  integrity."  The 
gift  and  all  the  praise  appeased  the  good  man,  whose 
care  of  his  step-daughter  in  her  youth  might  have  been 
better. 

Political  troubles  began  to  afflict  the  Countess.  She  was 
devoted  to  de  Brissac,  and  made  his  life  her  own.  The 
Duke,  who,  ever  since  1787,  had  been  interested  as  to  what 
matters  should  be  submitted  to  the  Notables,  was  displeased 
at  having  been  excluded  from  the  Assembly  of  his  province. 
"  Do  you  know,"  he  wrote  to  Madame  Du  Barry  from 
Vendome,  "  that  I  am  rather  provoked  at  not  having  been 
nominated  President  of  the  provincial  Assembly  of  Anjou  ? 
Of  course  I  had  not  asked  for  it,  but  whose  fault  is  it  that 
I  have  been  forgotten  and  passed  over  ?  It  is  beyond  me 
to  say,  and  I  should  be  grieved,  were  it  not  for  this  consoling 
indolence.  .  .  .  But,  dear  friend,  I  must  be  off  to  see 


DE   BRISSAC   IGNORED  239 

the  troops  and  must  leave  you  with  the  assurance  that  I 
love  you.  .  .  ."  In  the  second  Assembly  of  the  Notables, 
that  met  in  1788,  Brissac  was  again  forgotten  and  he  com- 
plained bitterly,  for  he  had  faith  in  measures  that  would 
have  prevented  a  bloody  revolution. 


CHAPTER   VII 

MADAME   DD   BARRY  AND   THE   REVOLUTION 

Madame  du  Barry  and %  Politics  again — Louveciennes  at  the  time  of 
the  States-General — In  October — The  Theft  of  the  Jewels — 
First  Journey  to  London — Connection  with  the  emigres  and 
English  Society^ — Second  and  third  Journeys' — Imprisonment 
and  Death  of  the  Duke  de  Brissac. 

MADAME     DU    BARRY,    formerly    an    ardent 
royalist  by  position  as  well  as  by  nature,  was 
now  less  attracted  to  the  absolutist  doctrine. 
With  so  many  of  the  nobility  both  at  Court  and 
especially  at  Paris,  she  joined  Necker's  party,  the  party  of  the 
philosophers  and  the  economists.     For  the  changes  in  her 
condition  and  surroundings  had  prepared  her  for  new  ideas, 
she  had  been  initiated  by  Brissac  in  the  theories  of  Rousseau, 
and  her  woman's  heart  delighted  in  the  beautiful  illusions 
of  justice  and  liberty. 

She  became  closely  acquainted  with  Monsieur  and  Madame 
Necker,  the  Marquis  de  Jaucourt,  Choderlos  de  Laclos,  and 
the  Chevalier  de  Chastellux  ;  she  received  the  Abb£  Beliardi, 
the  learned  economist,  who  was  later  to  become  one  of  her 
intimate  friends.  At  Louveciennes,  in  her  box  at  the 
Opera,  in  the  salons  of  her  friends,  moral  and  political 
questions  were  discussed  with  all  the  wit  and  good-nature 
in  the  world  ;  these  elegant  gatherings  were  so  well-meaning 
in  their  clamour  for  reform  ;  little  did  they  dream  they  were 
on  the  eve  of  revolution.  Yet  the  times  were  serious ; 
financial  disaster  threatened  the  country,  while  the  fever 
of  ideas  spread  and  prepared  the  way  for  the  social  crisis 
that  was  so  soon  to  extend  even  beyond  the  frontiers. 
Necker  having  induced  the  King  to  convoke  the  States- 

240 


A   COURTIER    IN   THE   COUNTRY  241 

General,  the  edict  of  January  24,  1789,  decreeing  the  elec- 
tions, was  issued. 

During  the  interval  which  preceded  them,  Madame  Du 
Barry  received  from  Clermont  a  letter  that  was  very 
significant  of  the  times.  The  Count  d'Espinchal,  a  fervent 
admirer  of  the  monarchy,  had  known  her  ladyship  before 
her  rise  to  favour.  Since  then  circumstances  had  often 
brought  them  together,  for  Adolphe  Du  Barry,  also  of 
the  light  cavalry,  had  married  his  cousin  of  Tournon,  and 
another  of  his  relatives,  Madame  de  Souza,  the  Portuguese 
Ambassador's  wife,  was  still  the  "  beloved  friend  "  of  the 
ex-favourite.  The  page  of  history  sent  by  the  noble  Auverg- 
nat  to  the  lady  of  Louveciennes  is  written  in  the  light  and 
charming  style  of  a  courtier  of  Versailles : 

Clermont,  March  6,  1789. 

I  can  no  longer  disguise  from  you,  Madame  la  Comtesse, 
that  one  of  the  greatest  of  my  griefs  at  my  departure  from 
the  capital  was  that  of  leaving  without  the  pleasure  of  seeing 
you.  For  you  must  know  that  to  meet  you  is  true  happiness 
to  me  ;  of  this  you  may  be  sure,  think  on  it  how  you  please. 
It  cannot  anger  you,  this  sentiment  which  you  inspire,  I 
know  not  why.  You  know  of  my  regard  for  you,  and  I 
speak  no  more  of  it,  having  no  need  continually  to  assure 
you  of  its  strength. 

Whilst  you  were  enjoying  the  pleasures  of  the  Carnival, 
whilst  at  the  Opera  Ball  you  were  listening  to  tales  in  which, 
unhappily,  I  bore  no  part,  I  was  sadly  taking  my  way  along 
the  high  road,  meditating  on  the  evils  of  the  State,  and  seek- 
ing to  discover  their  remedy  in  a  superb  document  of  griev- 
ances, to  be  produced  by  my  parish.  Full  of  this  beautiful 
thought  I  arrive  ;  but,  alas  !  I  learn  that  naught  remains 
to  be  done  ;  that  our  illustrious  clergy,  our  scientific  parsons 
have  but  just  made  alliance  with  the  eminent  town  members 
of  the  Third  Estate  ;  that  they  intend  to  prevail  upon  our 
simple-minded  country  folk  to  the  end  that  when  the  despic- 
able nobility,  the  ignorant  upper  clergy,  speak,  they  may 
not  gain  a  hearing.  After  that  you  would  think  these  two 
thousand  citizens,  deeply  stained  as  they  must  feel  by  their 
ancient  privileges,  would  abandon,  cede  them  all,  the  more 


242  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

so  because  of  their  absurdity  as  part  and  parcel  of  the  mon- 
archy. By  no  means ;  our  noble  Auvergnats  turn  a  deaf 
ear  to  such  arguments.  They  wish  to  remain  noble,  and 
are  ready  to  condemn  their  colleagues  who  would  preach 
them  the  new  doctrine,  which  is  so  widespread  in  Paris,  but 
so  little  known  in  the  provinces. 

That  is  how  matters  stand.  Though  all  may  turn 
out  for  the  best,  I,  for  my  part,  suffer  some  inconvenience 
from  all  these  innovations.  Last  year  I  had  opportunities 
for  intrigues  with  the  good  wives  of  the  Third  Estate,  which, 
however,  proved  ephemeral.  Now  how  changed  are  the 
times :  the  Third  Estate  are  on  their  guard,  the  nobles 
take  care  of  themselves,  the  low  clergy,  by  means  of  their 
alliance  with  the  Third  Estate,  protect  their  housekeepers, 
and  in  the  meantime  we  die  of  hunger.  It  is  very  hard.  In 
Paris,  life  is  still  possible  ;  one  plays  the  hypocrite ;  but 
here  all  are  bare-faced.  Out  on  the  wickedness  of  your 
Genevese !  truly,  he  will  make  us  pay  dearly  for  his  plans 
of  a  Republic. 

Now  I  have  acquainted  you  fully  with  what  happens  in 
Auvergne.  As  yet,  however,  all  is  quiet  enough  here.  The 
minds  of  the  people  are  all  in  a  ferment,  but  will,  I  believe, 
soon  calm  down.  Besides,  it  seems  to  me  that,  should  there 
be  an  explosion,  it  would  affect  each  order  equally.  There 
is  no  tendency  to  confusion.  For  my  part,  I  only  wish  to 
hear  of  it  when  there  is  some  question  of  discussing  schemes 
concerning  population,  but  in  all  other  cases,  they  will 
deliberate  separately,  and  thereon  I  build  my  hopes. 

The  bell  rings,  and  I  must  leave  you  for  an  ill-cooked 
dinner,  which  must,  however,  be  eaten. 

I  have  returned,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  my  fears,  alas  ! 
realised.  Though  in  the  country,  I  am  not  at  my  own  home, 
but  staying  with  an  aunt  who  loves  me  with  all  her  heart. 
Yet,  hi  spite  of  her  friendship,  she  chatters  all  day  long  on 
political  affairs,  and  is,  hi  consequence,  ever  on  the  point 
of  scratching  my  eyes  out,  so  much  does  she  suspect  the 
tainted  air  of  Paris  of  turning  me  somewhat  from  the  true 
interests  of  our  class.  She  is  so  furious  at  the  malcontents 
that,  had  she  the  power,  I  verily  believe  she  would  take  it 
upon  herself  to  destroy  them  utterly  and  annihilate  their 
posterity.  Oh  !  she  is  a  grand  woman  !  Not  even  the 
snows  around  us — and  you  must  know  we  have  had  the 


GRAVE   FOREBODINGS  243 

most  terrible  weather  for  a  week — have  cooled  her  hot- 
headedness. 

Next  week  I  join  the  throng  of  my  illustrious  colleagues. 
What  fine  things  we  shall  have  to  say  !  We  shall  be  at  least 
a  thousand  nobles  at  Riom,  and  we  have  agreed,  in  the 
event  of  arming,  to  take  kettles  for  drums,  that  being  the 
implement  of  war  of  the  Auvergnats.  Better  to  laugh 
beforehand,  for  perhaps  in  a  fortnight  we  shall  not  be  so 
gay.  God  grant  that  all  may  pass  peacefully,  without 
trouble  and  discord ;  though,  indeed,  that  would  rather 
disconcert  those  interested  in  disorder.  Let  them  beware 
of  our  arrival  in  Paris.  In  spite  of  my  patriotism  and  zeal, 
I  long  to  return  there,  and  assuredly  you  count  for  something 
in  these  wishes  of  mine.  Soften  then  my  hardships,  and 
give  me  news  of  you ;  you  cannot  imagine  the  pleasure  it 
will  give  me.  For  old  acquaintance'  sake,  I  may  be  permitted 
to  demand  a  little  friendship,  and  you  owe  it  me  in  return 
for  that  I  have  vowed  you. 

How  kind  it  would  be  of  you,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  if 
you  were  to  get  from  Monsieur  le  Prevot  a  short  account  of 
the  nominations  in  Paris  (not  his  writing,  I  beg  of  you),  as 
if  it  were  for  yourself,  and  of  what  is  happening.  You 
should  send  it  me  at  Clermont,  Auvergne. 

You  can  tell  my  dear  uncle  the  news  of  my  part  of  the 
world,  which  I  believe  I  have  given  you  fully  enough.  A 
thousand  compliments  to  your  niece  [the  Marquise  de 
Boisseson].  I  sympathise  with  her  grief  at  being  parted 
from  her  husband,  for  she  will  now  be  able  to  pity  me  for 
being  a  hundred  leagues  from  my  dear  friend.  Nor  do  I 
wish  to  be  forgotten  by  Madame  La  Neuville,  and  I  beg  her 
to  tell  her  daughter  that  I  have  seen  no  one  in  my  province 
as  pretty  as  she.  Should  you  see  the  Baron  d'Escars,  a 
word  for  me  ;  may  he  pray  for  my  return  !  And  my  cousin 
the  Ambassadress  [the  Countess  de  Souza]  who  has  a  grudge 
against  me  for  not  having  been  able  to  see  her  before  I  went. 
Make  my  peace  for  me  ;  my  mind  is  at  ease  if  you  take  the 
matter  in  hand. 

Farewell,  Madame  la  Comtesse;  how  it  grieves  me  to 
leave  you.  In  paying  you  my  respects,  permit  me  to  kiss 
the  thumb  of  your  left  hand  ;  I  have  thought  it  charming. 
How  disagreeable  it  is  to  be  far  from  those  by  whose  side 
one  would  be,  and  to  be  forced  to  put  an  end  to  a  conversa- 


244  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

tion.    With  these  sentiments,  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  etc., 
etc.,  etc.    I  should  never  finish  if  I  told  you  all  I  thought.1 

On  May  4,  1789,  the  eve  of  the  opening  of  the  States- 
General,  Madame  Du  Barry  probably  witnessed  from  a 
window  at  Versailles  the  imposing  procession  of  the  Deputies 
of  the  three  Estates.  But  the  understanding  between  the 
King  and  the  people  could  not  last  long,  and  events  were 
precipitated,  as  is  only  too  well  known ;  June  20  was  the 
day  of  the  Tennis-court  oath,  the  23rd  that  of  the  lit-de- 
justice,  when  the  sovereignty  of  the  nation  rose  threaten- 
ingly before  the  power  of  the  monarch.  The  arrival  of  the 
troops  at  Versailles  and  the  dismissal  of  Necker  exasperated 
public  opinion,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  I4th  the  people 
stormed  the  Bastille.  Brissac  had  not  in  the  least  foreseen 
such  violence;  and  no  doubt  he  said,  with  Madame  Du 
Barry  :  "If  Louis  XV.  were  alive  all  this  would  surely  not 
have  happened."  2 

France  was  thrown  into  disorder,  filled  with  a  stream  of 
follies,  seized  with  a  fury  of  reprisals  ;  archives  were  burnt 
in  the  towns,  chateaus  in  the  country,  aristocrats  were  slain 
everywhere.  After  July  14  the  Duke  de  Brissac  hastened 
to  his  province,  which  was  all  afire ;  he  was  arrested,  and 
escaped  death  by  a  miracle.  "  Monsieur  de  Brissac,  Governor 
of  Paris,  after  passing  the  town  of  Mans,  has  been  recognised 
and  arrested  at  Durtal  near  La  Fleche,  whence  a  courier  has 
been  dispatched  to  the  capital  to  discover  whether  he  is 
guilty,  and  if  he  should  be  beheaded  or  removed  to  Paris."  3 

Political  confusion  did  not,  however,  interrupt  the  course 
of  fashionable  life.  The  Countess  went  as  usual  to  the 
theatre,  called  on  her  friends,  entertained  at  Louveciennes. 
One  of  Madame  d'Angiviller's  charming  letters  takes  us 
there : 

Friday,  June  12,   1789. 

How  much  we  must  thank  you,  Madame  la  Comtesse, 
for  your  kindly  recollection  of  us.  The  fine  weather  reminds 

1  The  letter  was  among  the  documents  seized  at  Louveciennes. 
1  See  the  Souvenirs  de  Madame  Vigee  Le  Brun,  Vol.  I.,  p.  168. 
*  A  letter  of  July  26,   1789,  on  the   happenings  in  the   Maine, 
quoted  by  Vatel,  Vol.  III.,  p.  123. 


"A   FAIR   ENCHANTRESS"  245 

us  of  the  charm  of  your  beautiful  groves,  and  of  the  enjoy- 
ment of  walking  in  them  with  you.  But  we  are  indeed 
grieved  that  we  already  have  an  engagement  for  a  dinner 
that  takes  place  every  Saturday,  and  which  we  cannot  miss 
without  failing  in  due  respect  to  Messieurs  les  Deputes.  Pray 
accept  our  regrets,  dear  Madame,  and  convey  them  to  the 
fair  enchantress  [Madame  Vigee  Le  Brun],  who  has  no  need 
of  her  art  in  making  her  picture  of  you  full  of  charm.1  Should 
it  suit  both  of  you,  we  shall  recompense  ourselves  for  our 
loss  on  Saturday  by  coming  next  Tuesday  at  about  three 
o'clock  to  enjoy  that  perfection  of  both  art  and  nature 
which  is  to  be  found  at  Louveciennes.  Be  so  kind  as  to  let 
me  know  if  this  is  possible  ;  for  then  we  shall  have  an  oppor- 
tunity of  making  amends  for  our  omissions,  though,  indeed, 
they  are  quite  unintentional.  I  have  the  honour  to  assure 
you  of  it,  as  well  as  of  our  eagerness  to  pay  you  our  sincere 
and  tender  respect,  Madame  la  Comtesse. 

Pardon  all  the  spots  of  water  on  the  paper  ;  by  them  you 
may  know  that  I  am  in  my  bath,  and  that  the  desire  to 
answer  you  as  soon  as  possible  kept  me  from  waiting  until 
I  came  out  of  this  humid  dwelling  where  I  spend  my  days.2 

Madame  Du  Barry  could  not  be  so  light  of  heart  as  her 
friend,  for  she  had  been  too  close  a  spectator  of  the  manage- 
ment of  the  affairs  of  the  kingdom  not  to  be  passionately 
interested  in  the  political  questions  of  the  day.  Her  state 
of  mind  may  be  realised  from  that  of  de  Brissac.  The  Duke 
was  no  less  a  friend  of  liberty  for  being  by  temperament  a 
strong  supporter  of  the  monarchy.  The  letters  he  sent  his 
mistress  from  Anjou  were  very  confident  in  tone. 

"  There  are  here,"  he  wrote  after  the  incident  of  his  arrest, 
"  three  or  four  people  who  disturb  the  peace  that  otherwise 
reigns  over  this  neighbourhood.  The  calamitous  fact  of 
their  existence  has  to  be  borne  with  patience,  for  liberty  is 
too  precious  a  thing  to  be  sacrificed  for  the  sake  of  a  little 
ease.  Whether  we  shall  be  any  the  better  for  it,  is  perhaps 
doubtful.  But  happier  we  should  be.  Equality,  modera- 
tion and  simplicity  conduce  to  the  growth  of  a  tranquillity 

1  Madame  Vigee  Le  Brun  was  then  staying  at  Louveciennes. 
1  The  letter  is  now  in  the  National  Archives. 


246  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

that  ought  to  promote  humane  and  polished  feeling.  .  .  . 
Yesterday  my  birthday  was  celebrated  with  much  noise 
and  martial  display.  I  felt  that  my  fellow-citizens  put  their 
heart  into  their  demonstration  of  devotion.  That  the  feudal 
system  has  been  destroyed  does  not  necessarily  deprive  us 
of  respect  and  love,  a  fact  that  is  both  good  and  true." 

Madame  Du  Barry  replied  in  the  same  manner,  and 
discoursed  at  large  on  the  humanitarian  theories  that 
appealed  to  her  goodness  of  heart.  The  Duke  again  wrote 
to  her : 

Angers,  Saturday,  Augitst  29. 

I  have  not  yet  heard  the  ministerial  news  and  am 
expecting  it  most  impatiently.  From  Versailles  I  have  heard 
that  the  letter  was  waiting  to  be  signed,  in  which  case  I 
shall  have  it  this  evening  or  on  Monday. 

How  learned  and  philosophical  your  letter  of  the  22nd  is, 
Madame  la  Comtesse  !  Indeed,  one  has  need  of  philosophy 
and  hope,  not  to  speak  of  patience,  when  so  far  away  from 
you,  and  when  the  States-General  are  so  slow  in  their  work 
on  the  points  of  real  importance,  which  are  expected  by 
the  whole  of  France,  and  which  ought  to  calm  her.  She  is 
beginning  to  be  resigned,  at  least  the  nobility  are.  The 
nation  ought  to  be  satisfied  with  them,  and  not  at  all 
troubled  on  their  account,  considering  they  are  without 
either  arms,  defence  or  plans.  They  say  that  Paris  is  not 
at  peace,  that,  like  you,  she  lacks  the  means  of  subsistence. 
How  I  wish  I  could  share  with  you  the  fine  fruit  that  the 
beautiful  Angevin  Ceres  has  given  us  this  year,  but  it  would 
be  both  imprudent  and  difficult  to  try  and  send  you  them  ; 
the  municipalities,  too,  fear  people  who  are  dissatisfied 
with  the  necessaries,  and  want  to  share  the  superfluities,  of 
life.  But  farewell,  farewell,  Madame  la  Comtesse  ;  it  is  nearly 
noon,  and  I  am  to  dine  at  Brissac.  I  tender  my  respect 
and  thanks  for  the  news  you  send  me  ;  my  happiness  lies 
in  hearing  of  you,  and  in  thinking  of  you  and  of  my  sincere 
and  eternal  devotion  to  you.  I  might  have  heard  from  you 
yesterday,  but  I  did  not. 

The  National  Assembly  set  to  work  on  "  the  points  of 
real  importance,"  as  Brissac  desired.  After  the  Declaration 
oi  Rights  of  August  26,  they  at  last  turned  to  the  question 


A   DISCOURAGING   PROSPECT  247 

of  finance  ;  from  the  night  of  the  4th  onwards  no  revenue 
had  been  received,  as  the  tax-payers  thought  the  taxes  had 
been  abolished.  In  the  meanwhile  the  Assembly  was  torn 
by  conflict ;  the  sovereignty  of  the  nation  could  not  be 
brought  to  harmonise  with  that  of  the  monarch,  and  the 
parties  that  were  formed  began  to  question  the  very  prin- 
ciples of  government. 

Brissac,  in  his  peaceful  estate  far  away  from  the  tumult, 
felt  perhaps  a  little  displeased  at  not  having  been  elected. 
The  letters  of  his  mistress  and  his  friends  kept  him  informed 
of  all  that  happened.  His  replies  to  the  Countess  were 
written  in  the  obscure  and  inaccurate  style  that  was  so 
significant  of  the  metaphysical  tendencies  of  his  time,  and  so 
different  from  the  lucid  perspicacity  of  Mirabeau,  who  made 
such  excellent  fun  of  these  tendencies.  But  in  spite  of  the 
difficulty  of  his  language,  his  faith  in  human  nature  is  made 
plain,  and  especially  his  faith  in  the  love  of  the  woman  he 
adored  and  had  made  wholly  his. 

Brissac,  Saturday,  September  5,  1789. 
The  posts  are  truly  much  too  infrequent,  Madame  la  Com- 
tesse,  for  this  letter,  which  leaves  to-morrow  by  Le  Mans, 
will  arrive  just  as  soon  as  yesterday's,  that  went  by  the  mail. 
But  the  pleasure  of  holding  converse  with  you  is  an  oppor- 
tunity not  to  be  lost.  Yes,  the  future  is  as  disheartening  as 
the  present.  As  long  as  reason,  which  is  man's  fairest  herit- 
age, does  not  yield  the  place  to  wit,  ambition  or  vanity, 
what  man  does  not  desire  happiness  for  himself  and  others, 
unless  he  is  a  madman,  of  whom  I  fear  there  are  too  many  ! 
But  of  people  who  work  for  the  majority  of  the  nation 
.  .  .  that  unfortunately  neither  knows  nor  has  the  means 
of  enjoying  the  charm  of  true  happiness  ...  of  such 
men  as  have  enough  frank  loyalty  to  agree  to  arrangements 
that  are  to  the  advantage  of  all,  how  many  have  we  ?  Very 
few,  or  else  they  are  not  heard,  or  they  do  not  speak,  or  they 
do  not  exist.  What  melancholy  feelings  do  these  reflections 
arouse ! 

The  Duke  quickly  turned  to  less  serious  matters.  As 
Madame  Du  Barry  had  told  him  of  the  opening  of  the  Salon, 
he  was  reminded  of  their  old  friend,  Vien,  who  was  exhibiting 


248  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

his  Love  fleeing  from  slavery.  The  rather  old-fashioned 
allegory  represented  Cupid  flying  from  a  cage,  which  had 
been  imprudently  opened  by  a  woman  : 

Love  departing  and  fleeing  from  his  slavery  is  not  my 
emblem,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  though  it  may  well  be  suited 
to  my  age.  .  .  .  By  the  way,  I  have  heard  that  the 
picture  is  unfavourably  criticised,  and  that  it  is  cold  and 
correct,  but  not  very  attractive.  I  agree,  to  some  extent, 
with  the  critic,  but  the  detail  and  finish  of  the  picture,  as 
well  as  its  colouring,  are  good,  and  will  always  ensure  it 
having  charm.  No  woman  will  apply  to  herself  the  insults 
offered  the  sex  by  Love,  or  rather  by  the  painter,  who,  con- 
sidering his  age  and  his  works,  has  every  right  to  be  cold.  I 
suppose  there  were  very  few  portraits,  especially  by  Madame 
Le  Brun,  who  painted  the  one  of  Madame  la  Duchesse 
d' Orleans.  She  is  made  for  the  love  and  esteem  of  all,  and 
can  appear  in  public  at  any  time.  Is  the  Salon  beautiful  ? 
I  do  not  think  many  country  people  have  been  there. 
Besides,  for  a  long  time  it  has  not  been  worth  the  trouble 
of  moving. 

After  alluding  to  a  visit  of  the  Countess  to  her  dear  friends, 
the  nuns  of  Pont-aux-Dames,  de  Brissac  concludes  his 
letter  as  he  began  it,  with  a  mixture  of  affection  and  politics. 

Unlike  the  "  country  people,"  Madame  Du  Barry  had  not 
failed  to  visit  the  Exhibition  at  the  Louvre,  for  in  spite  of 
the  anxious  times  she  was  still  deeply  interested  in  art. 
No  longer  was  the  charming  image  of  the  Countess  to  be 
seen  on  the  walls  of  the  Salon,  but  this  same  month  she  had 
a  portrait  painted  for  the  Duke,  the  third  that  Madame 
Vig6e  Le  Brun  made  of  her.  "  I  began  it  about  the  middle 
of  September,  1789,"  said  the  artist.  "  From  Louveciennes 
we  heard  the  cannonade  in  the  distance.  I  had  painted  the 
head  and  outlined  the  bust  and  arms,  when  I  was  obliged  to 
make  an  expedition  to  Paris.  I  hoped  to  be  able  to  return 
to  Louveciennes  in  order  to  finish  my  work  ;  but  .  .  . 
my  terror  had  become  excessive,  and  I  thought  only  of 
leaving  France." 

The  picture,  which  was  completed  later,  represents 
Madame  Du  Barry  seated  at  the  foot  of  a  tree,  with  an  open 


MADAME    I)1T    BARRY 
From  a  painting  by  Madame  I  'igie  Lc  Brun,  1789 


DE   BRISSAC   THREATENED  249 

book  in  her  lap.  She  is  very  simply  dressed  in  a  green  frock, 
whose  high  waist  already  foreshadowed  the  coming  fashion. 
The  cut  of  the  bodice  allows  a  glimpse  of  her  full  figure ; 
the  sleeves  of  the  little  embroidered  vest  cover  her  beauti- 
fully rounded  arms  to  the  elbows.  She  was  then  forty- 
six,  and  still  very  fair  under  her  white  veil,  and  very 
attractive,  retaining  all  her  youthful  charm,  though  she  had 
lost  something  of  her  slenderness  and  her  fresh  complexion.1 
Her  expressive  face  is  still  alive  to  every  emotion,  but  though 
her  half-closed  eyes  are  as  mockingly  tender  as  ever,  the 
delicate  lips  betray  a  gentle  sadness,  so  nearly  breaking  into 
a  smile  that  one  cannot  but  be  softened.  The  picture  is 
not  in  Madame  Le  Brun's  most  brilliant  style  ;  it  lacks  her 
characteristic  ruffled  silks  and  falling  lace,  and  the  clear 
colours  delicately  manipulated  to  the  verge  of  affectation. 
But  though  the  lady  in  green  is  painted  without  frippery, 
the  artist,  with  the  wisdom  that  comes  with  years,  has  at 
least  endeavoured  to  portray  a  soul. 

The  soul  was  that  of  a  woman  who  at  this  time  trembled 
for  the  life  of  him  she  loved.  The  great  name  of  de  Brissac 
had  marked  out  the  Duke  as  an  object  of  popular  hatred, 
and  already  the  revolutionary  papers  were  urging  his  death. 
Nor  did  his  mistress  escape  attack  from  the  very  first. 
The  obscene  Petit  Journal  du  Palais  Royal  printed  the 
following  on  September  15,  1789  : 

SALE  OF  HORSES  AND  CARRIAGES. 

The  Countess  Du  Barry,  widow  of  the  King  Louis  XV. 

This  infamous  Messalina  wishes  to  sell  half-a-dozen  old 
horses,  for  the  sake  of  getting  a  young  colt,  which  the  Prince 
de  Beauvau  has  procured  for  her. 

Necker's  return  to  power  seemed  for  a  moment  to  have 
restored  to  the  monarchy  some  of  its  authority,  but  the 
King  was  influenced  by  the  serried  ranks  of  privilege  about 

1  "  She  had  become  somewhat  stout,"  wrote  the  Count  d'Espin- 
chal,  "  and  her  face  was  a  little  pitted,  but  she  was  still  most 
.attractive  when  I  last  saw  her  in  1789.  She  owes  her  charm  largely 
to  the  most  scrupulous  attention  to  cleanliness,  and  to  her  habit  of 
taking  a  daily  cold  bath,  whatever  the  season  and  the  weather." 


250  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

the  throne,  and  continued  to  refuse  his  sanction  of  the 
decrees  of  August  4  and  26.  Reactionary  feeling  (  was 
manifested  in  the  recall  of  the  Flanders  Regiment,  and  in 
the  military  banquet  given  in  honour  of  the  Body-Guards, 
and  these  two  circumstances  were  directly  responsible  for 
the  tragic  events  of  October.  At  the  very  time  v/hen  the 
Royal  Family  was  being  brought  back  to  Paris  by  the  mob, 
two  of  the  Guards,  Marion  de  Barghon-Monteil  and  Lefebvre 
de  Lukerque,  who  had  escaped  the  massacre,  but  not  with- 
out being  wounded,  dragged  themselves  from  Versailles  to 
Louveciennes  in  the  hope  of  finding  a  refuge  and  the  care 
they  needed  with  its  mistress.1  Lafont  d'Aussonne  has 
told  how  the  Queen  "  sent  some  gentlemen  in  her  confidence 
to  Louveciennes  with  her  warmest  thanks.  The  Countess 
Du  Barry  immediately  had  the  honour  of  replying  to  the 
Queen  in  words  which  I  shall  quote,  having  heard  them  from 
one  of  her  relatives  : 

Madame, — The  two  wounded  youths  only  regret  they  did 
not  die  with  their  comrades  for  a  Princess  as  perfect  and 
worthy  of  all  honour  as  Your  Majesty.  .  .  .  Luciennes 
is  yours,  Madame,  for  do  I  not  owe  my  renewed  possession 
of  it  to  your  goodwill  and  kindness  ?  .  .  .  Influenced 
by  some  sort  of  presentiment,  the  late  King  compelled  me 
to  accept  thousands  of  precious  things  before  sending  me 
away  from  him.  I  had  the  honour  of  offering  you  this 
treasure  at  the  time  of  the  Notables,  and  I  do  so  again, 
Madame  .  .  .  ;  allow  me,  I  implore  you,  to  render 
unto  Caesar  that  which  is  Caesar's. 

I  am,  Your  Majesty's  most  faithful  servant  and  subject, 

La  Comtesse  Du  Barry."  * 

1  There  is  a  tradition  in  the  Lukerque  family  to  the  effect  that 
the  Chevalier  de  Lukerque  owed  his  safety  to  a  woman,  who  was 
evidently  Madame  du  Barry. 

*  Memoirs  secrets  et  universels  des  malheurs  et  de  la  mart  de  la 
Reine  de  France,  Paris,  1824.  The  wording  of  the  letter  is  certainly 
garbled,  but  the  anecdote  is  based  on  fact.  This  was  the  time 
when  Madame  Du  Barry  tried  to  sell  some  of  her  diamonds  at 
Amste  rdam,  as  may  be  seen  from  a  detailed  receipt  from  the  bankers, 
Vandenyver,  dated  November  21,  1789;  the  sale  realised  133,000 
livres.  Her  generous  intentions,  at  least,  have  been  confirmed  by 
the  Count  d'Espinchal. 


DE   BRISSAC'S    LOYALTY  251 

What  remained  of  the  Court  had  left  for  Paris  in  order 
to  be  near  the  Royal  Family.  De  Brissac,  as  Pantler  to 
His  Majesty,  resided  in  the  Tuileries,  but  nevertheless  went 
nearly  every  day  to  Louveciennes  to  see  his  friend.  He 
wrote  one  evening  when  he  had  not  been  able  to  pay  his 
visit : 

The  Tuileries,  Wednesday,  November  n,  1789. 

I  am  going  to  bed,  dear  heart,  so  that  to-morrow  I  may 
have  less  of  a  cold  than  I  have  now,  and  so  that  I  may  be 
better  company  for  you  than  if  I  were  to  come  with  as 
much  of  a  cold  as  I  have  now.  The  cold  is  humoursome, 
and  due  to  the  stagnation  of  too  long  a  stay  in  Paris,  to 
which  I  am  far  from  accustomed ;  if  I  cannot  move  soon, 
it  will  end  by  killing  me  or  driving  me  to  despair.  But  I 
hope  for  a  return,  and  only  do  not  mention  it  to  you  for  fear 
an  anticipation  of  my  joy  would  delay  it.  Farewell,  dear 
friend,  I  love  you  and  kiss  you  a  thousand  times  with  the 
deepest  affection  of  our  hearts — my  heart,  I  should  say, 
but  shall  not  cross  out  what  my  pen  has  written,  for  I  love 
to  think  that  our  hearts  are  for  ever  one.  Farewell  till 
to-morrow.  I  shall  try  to  sweat  and  spit,  a  pleasant  pros- 
pect, indeed  !  The  occupation  will  be  less  disagreeable,  as 
things  are  at  present,  than  if  the  weather  were  calm  and 
consequently  fine.  All  that  happens  is  nothing  but  mystery 
and  folly,  and  the  wisest  thing  we  can  do  is  to  be  together. 
Farewell,  sweet  friend,  farewell,  dear  heart.  I  love  you  and 
kiss  you. 

At  Louveciennes  the  year  1790  passed  uneventfully. 
The  life  of  its  mistress  was  still  devoted  to  her  "  immense 
charity  throughout  the  district."  She  entertained  quietly 
and  only  a  select  circle  of  friends,  on  account  of  the  troublous 
'  times.  Madame  de  Souza  and  Madame  d'Angiviller  were 
often  with  her,  and  spent  "  delightful  hours  "  in  her  com- 
pany. Letters  from  their  friends  among  the  Emigres  were 
read  with  curiosity,  and  a  long  epistle  from  Naples,  which 
came  that  autumn,  afforded  them  an  agreeable  surprise  : 
"  Madame  la  Comtesse,  I  have  for  ages  been  wanting  to 
recall  myself  to  your  recollection  and  favour.  I  assure 
you,  I  have  not  forgotten,  but  I  have  so  little  time  to 


252  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

myself.  Monsieur  Robert  must  have  told  you  how  much 
I  think  of  you,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  and  I  have  often  begged 
him  to  give  me  news  of  you.  I  am  really  at  Naples,  which  is 
a  charming  place ;  Nature  has  rejoiced  in  beautifying  the 
lovely  climate ;  the  skies  are  pure  .  .  . "  In  this 
way  Madame  Vigee  Le  Brun  filled  four  pages,  describing 
the  scenery  and  buildings,  or  telling  of  her  work,  in  more 
than  doubtful  French.  "  Tell  me  of  Monsieur  de  Brissac," 
she  added ;  "  does  he  remember  me  ?  If  you  should  see 
Madame  1'Ambassadrice  of  Portugal,  and  the  Countess  de 
Brunoy,  remember  me  to  them,  I  beg  of  you,  and  assure 
them  of  my  respectful  service."  * 

The  news  Madame  Du  Barry  received  from  her  brother- 
in-law  was  less  agreeable.  He  complained  bitterly  of  her, 
and  importuned  her  for  money,  with  evidently  exaggerated 
accounts  of  his  poverty.  He  reminded  the  Countess  of 
promises  made  by  her  steward :  "I  invoke  the  word  of 
that  honest  man,  but  what  use  is  it  to  me  if  your  heart  is 
silent.  I  must  then  seek  to  move  that,  and  Monsieur 
Buffault's  reply  will  tell  me  if  it  still  speaks  for  me."  This, 
the  Roue's  last  appeal,  was  probably  left  unanswered,  for 
Madame  Du  Barry's  fortune,  like  that  of  many  others, 
must  have  suffered  from  the  course  of  events,  though  it  was 
still  considerable.  For  instance,  she  applied  to  the  Departe- 
ment  of  Seine-et-Oise  for  some  slight  reduction  of  taxation. 
But  perhaps  the  real  reason  for  her  economising  was  the 
fact  that  she  had  already  begun  to  send  money  abroad  for 
the  emigres. 

Though  the  Duke  de  Brissac  was  looked  on  coldly  by  the 
Royal  Family  as  well  as  by  the  Assembly,  he  was  quite 
prepared  to  sacrifice  himself  for  what  he  believed  to  be  his 
honour  and  his  duty.  Madame  Du  Barry  followed  him  in 
his  path  of  self-denial ;  suffering  always  touched  her  heart, 
and  with  compassionate  kindliness  she  pitied  and  relieved 
the  miseries  of  the  people,  as  they  well  knew.  But  now  she 
was  wanted  elsewhere  to  help  in  another  way.  She  was 

1  Monsieur  de  Nolhac  has  given  a  facsimile  of  this  letter  in  his 
book  Madame  Vigte  le  Brun. 


ROYALIST   CONSPIRATORS  253 

prudent  only  for  others,  with  the  unconscious,  heedless 
courage  that  refuses  to  look  at  danger.  Soon  she  learnt 
how  to  circumvent  the  police  and,  without  exciting  sus- 
picion, used  to  hold  meetings  of  the  Royalist  conspirators 
in  her  three  Parisian  pieds-A-terre,  whose  existence  was  one 
day  to  be  revealed  before  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal. 
She  was  already  in  constant  communication  with  the 
emigres,  and  the  last  three  years  of  her  life  she  dedicated  to 
her  friends,  carrying  her  devotion  even  to  the  point  of  dying 
for  them. 

The  aristocrats  continued  to  leave  the  country,  and  at 
first  the  chief  centre  of  emigration  was  Turin.  There  the 
Count  d'Artois  with  difficulty  maintained  a  suite  of  eighty- 
two  persons,  for  he  was  nearly  penniless.  His  dream  was 
to  induce  Europe  to  arm  against  France,  and  he  redoubled 
his  importunate  requests  to  the  various  sovereigns.  His 
negotiations  were  beset  with  further  difficulties  owing  to 
the  disagreement  at  the  Tuileries,  where  the  King  and  Queen 
rightly  feared  the  blundering  politics  of  their  younger 
brother.  News  was  always  impatiently  expected  at  Turin. 
In  August  there  arrived  Monsieur  Prioreau,  who  was  attached 
to  the  household  of  the  Count  d'Artois.  He  brought 
accounts  of  Madame  Du  Barry's  movements  that  Monsieur 
d'Espinchal  immediately  noted  down  in  his  diary  : 

I  cannot  pass  over  in  silence  what  Monsieur  Prioreau 
has  told  us  of  the  Countess  Du  Barry.  The  lady,  who  lives 
in  retirement  at  Luciennes,  has,  ever  since  the  beginning 
of  the  Revolution,  given  expression  to  very  Royalist  senti- 
ments, and  it  is  known  for  a  fact  that  she  has  turned  some 
precious  possessions  into  money,  which  sum  of  500,000 
livres  is  to  be  used  in  the  service  of  the  King  and  Queen 
should  they  ever  have  need  of  it.  This  action  should  lead 
to  a  better  knowledge  and  a  more  lenient  judgment  of  one 
whom  calumny  has  so  cruelly  attacked. 

The  Count  d'Artois  had  just  left  Turin  for  Venice,  to 
the  great  joy  of  his  father-in-law,  Amadeus  of  Savoy,  when 
the  Countess  received  an  unsigned  letter  from  her  friend 
d'Espinchal.  The  postmark  was  from  Turin ;  the  black 


254  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

seal  was  two  doves  with  the  motto :  Vivons  unis.  These 
lines  from  an  emigre,  though  written  with  careful  restraint, 
show,  as  nothing  else  can,  how  great  from  the  first  was  the 
ex-favourite's  compassion  for  those  whom  misfortune  had 
exiled.  The  esteem  and  even  admiration  which  she  won 
from  the  Count  prove  with  what  ardour  she  espoused  their 
cause,  and  how  she  taxed  her  ingenuity  in  their  service. 

Turin,  in  Piedmont,  January  18,  1791. 

After  eighteen  months  absence  and  silence  can  you  permit 
an  exile,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  to  remind  you  of  his  exist- 
ence ?  Nothing  has  lessened  my  devotion  to  you,  but  much 
has  happened  to  increase  my  respect.  I  need  scarcely  tell 
you  that,  although  I  may  not  have  written  to  you,  I  have, 
nevertheless,  thought  very  much  of  you  ;  and  always,  when 
I  have  asked  for  news  of  you,  I  have  heard  of  actions  on  your 
part  of  which  all  who  were  acquainted  with  you  knew  you  were 
capable,  but  which  are  in  these  times  none  the  less  to  be  admired. 
But  I  shall  spare  your  modesty  and  stop.  Let  me  only  tell 
you  that  your  grandson  x  has  been  informed  of  all,  as  well 
as  those  who  share  his  fate,  and  whom  I  have  so  far  accom- 
panied. 

Since  my  departure  in  July,  1789,  my  wife  has  sometimes 
had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  you  with  her  friend  from  Poland.2 
While  I  was  crossing  Germany  and  Switzerland  in  good 
company,  she  was  preparing  to  leave  for  my  estate  with 
our  children  ;  she  promised  to  write  to  you,  but  has  not  done 
so,  for  which  she  is  sorry.  In  my  chateau  she  had  to  put 
up  with  so  much  vexation  that  she  left  during  February 
for  Turin,  and  there  awaited  my  return  from  Italy,  where 
I  had  been  travelling  since  November,  1789,  after  having 
left  everyone  else  settled  for  the  winter,  for  I  foresaw  what 
an  inactive  life  they  would  be  compelled  to  lead.  And  after 
having  seen  Genoa,  Florence,  Rome,  Naples,  Tintoretto's 
Ascension  at  Venice,  and  Milan,  I  rejoined  my  wife  on 
July  i.  Since  then  I  have  not  left  this  place,  where  I  con- 
tinually meet  a  great  number  of  my  countrymen,  whose 
inconsiderate  zeal  will  no  doubt  cost  us  dear,  its  effects,  so 
far,  having  been  anything  but  happy.  Moreover,  your 

1  The  "  grandson  "  so  discreetly  alluded  to  is  no  other  than  the 
Count  d'Artois. 

1  The  Princess  Alexandra  Lubomirska. 


A   CHEERFUL   EXILE  255 

grandson  has  gone,  leaving  his  wife  and  children 1  in  the  care 
of  his  father-in-law.  The  boys  are  delightful,  their  good- 
nature leaves  nothing  to  be  desired,  and  their  feeling  and 
intelligence  are  all  that  could  be  wished,  especially  the 
younger  one's,  who,  by  the  way,  has  scarcely  grown  at  all, 
while  the  elder  is  much  taller.  I  hope  you  will  soon  have 
particulars  about  all  this,  through  some  honest  man  whom 
we  may  see. 

Your  grandson  has  thus  decided  to  make  this  journey 
and  fulfil  the  obligations  he  has  for  long  owed  to  both  love 
and  friendship.  He  is  at  present  in  Venice  ;  and  where  he 
intends  to  go  afterwards  I  do  not  know.  His  cousin  2  left 
this  week  with  his  children  by  a  very  different  route,  and  they 
will  be  in  Berne  from  the  I5th  to  the  i8th.  I  do  not  know 
if  they  will  be  satisfied  with  dreaming  of  Switzerland.  I 
trust  they  conduct  themselves  prudently  and  do  not  com- 
promise their  affairs.  As  for  us,  we  do  not  think  the  season 
suitable  for  crossing  the  Alps.  As  I,  moreover,  fear  finding 
myself  face  to  face  on  the  way  with  that  villain  Necker,  who 
is  intriguing  in  Geneva,  I  have  decided  to  stay  and  pay  court 
to  the  fair  Piedmontese,  of  whom  a  considerable  number  in 
all  classes  are  pretty.  As  usual,  I  know  everyone  and  should 
spend  a  very  pleasant  winter,  were  it  not  for  hearing  of 
misfortunes  that  affect  us  ourselves,  or  afflict  our  friends, 
news  that  would  continually  disturb  the  moments  of 
peace  and  pleasure  one  hoped  to  enjoy.  Such  a  moment, 
and  a  very  sweet  one,  you  would  give  me,  if  you  would  answer 
my  letter  and  give  me  news  of  your  health,  as  to  which  we 
have  suffered  some  anxiety. 

Be  careful  to  have  your  letter  franked,  and  send  it  to 
Turin  in  my  name,  which  I  think  you  will  guess  without 
much  trouble.  Having  worn  the  same  uniform  as  Lolo,  you 
have  known  me  for  a  long  time,  and  if,  as  is  my  way,  I  keep 
away  from  people  in  their  time  of  glory,  my  desire  to 
give  expression  to  my  esteem  for  them,  my  consideration 
and  devotion,  is  all  the  greater  at  times  when  these  senti- 
ments are  a  homage  that  is  their  due.  Farewell  then, 
Madame  la  Comtesse.  I  await  news  of  you,  and  any  mission 
with  which  you  may  charge  me,  I  shall  zealously  carry  out.3 

1  The  Duke  d'Angouleme  and  the  Duke  de  Berry. 

1  The  Prince  de  Conde. 

3  The  letter  is  followed  by  a  postcript  that  refers  to  M.  Pelletier's 


256  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

In  the  night  of  January  n  Madame  Du  Barry  was  robbed 
of  her  wonderful  caskets.  On  that  night  Monsieur  de 
Brissac  gave  a  great  entertainment  at  his  hotel  in  Paris. 
His  mistress  was  present  and  stayed  with  the  Duke  until 
the  next  day.  The  thieves  took  advantage  of  her  absence, 
and  broke  into  the  house  through  the  bedroom  window, 
which  they  reached  by  means  of  two  ladders.  They  broke 
a  chest  of  drawers  and  a  writing-table,  and  seized  several 
other  things  of  value  besides  the  jewel-box.1 

The  theft,  or  at  least  the  story  of  it  that  was  told  the  day 
after,  was  extraordinary.  The  valet,  whose  duty  it  was  to 
guard  the  treasure,  was  said  to  have  slept  away  from  the 
house,  and  the  young  soldier,  who  should  have  watched  in 
the  gardens,  to  have  deserted  his  post.  The  latter,  a  Swiss 
Guard,  of  the  detachment  garrisoned  at  Courbevoie,  was 
accused  of  having  followed  some  unknown  men  to  an  inn, 
where  he  had  been  left  by  them  in  a  drunken  condition. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  whistling  of  one  of  the  accomplices 
had  alarmed  him  and  taken  him  away  from  the  chateau. 
Next  morning  the  servants  noticed  the  injuries  to  the  furni- 
ture and  the  disappearance  of  the  casket.  Madame  Du 
Barry  was  speedily  informed  and  returned  at  once. 

On  January  n  an  official  report  of  the  crime  was  drawn 
up  and  a  judicial  enquiry  opened.2  The  Countess  called 
her  principal  jeweller,  the  Sieur  Rouen,  who  gave  a  full 

arrival  at  Chambery,  and  adds  that  "  the  State  of  Naples  refused 
permission  to  enter  for  fear  of  the  new  French  evil ;  while  all  Italy 
was  full  of  distinguished  strangers,  especially  Rome,  Venice,  Genoa, 
and  Florence.  There  were  200  at  Chambery." 

1  See  Couard,  Le  vol  des  diamante  de  Madame  Du  Barry,  Vol.  I., 
p.  37,  and  M.  Henri  Welschinger's  Les  bijoux  de  Madame  Du  Barry, 
which  latter  was  unknown  to  both  Vatel  and  Couard.  Monsieur 
Paul  Fromageot  has  made  a  complete  study  of  the  theft,  which  he 
communicated  in  1908  to  the  Society  of  Moral  Sciences  of  Seine- 
et-Oise  (Revue  de  I'Histoire  de  Versailles,  Vol.  x,  pp.  257-285). 

*  All  the  documents  have  been  preserved  in  the  Archives  of  Seine- 
et-Oise.  The  young  Swiss  was  accused  of  complicity  and  imprisoned 
at  Rueil.  His  case  at  once  excited  the  interested  pity  of  the  journal- 
ist Prudhomme,  who  in  his  Revolutions  de  Paris,  gave  a  malicious 
account  of  the  theft  at  Louveciennes,  and  used  the  opportunity  to 
attack  the  Countess. 


THE   JEWEL   ROBBERY  257 

account  of  the  stolen  things,  and  also  wrote  the  leaflet 
describing  them,  of  which  a  large  number  was  printed. 

"  Two  thousand  louis  to  be  won,  and  a  reasonable  reward 
according  to  the  value  of  the  things  returned. 

"  Madame  Du  Barry  has  been  robbed  of  the  diamonds 
and  jewels  described  below,  at  the  chateau  of  Louveciennes 
called  Luciennes,  near  Marly,  on  the  night  of  January  10 : 
'  .  .  .  A  ring  set  with  an  oblong  white  brilliant  weighing 
about  35  grains  .  .  . ;  a  green  box  for  rings  in  the  shape 
of  a  rosette,  containing  twenty  to  twenty-five  rings,  of  which 
one  set  with  a  large  emerald  .  .  . ;  one  with  an  onyx  repre- 
senting a  portrait  of  Louis  XIII.,  whose  hair  and  moustaches 
are  of  sardonyx  ;  one  of  a  Caesar  in  two  colours,  surrounded 
with  brilliants  .  .  .  one  of  a  Bacchus  engraved  in  relief  on 
a  cornelian ;  one  of  a  yellow  sardonyx,  engraved  by  Barrier, 
representing  Louis  XIV.,  and  surrounded  by  some  worth- 
less Dutch  diamonds  ;  one  of  a  large  heart-shaped  sapphire, 
surrounded  by  diamonds  with  which  half  the  ring  is  also 
set.  .  .  .  This  box  also  contains  an  antique  lucky 
charm,  engraved  on  an  onyx ;  two  very  fine  brilliants 
for  earrings  .  .  .  ;  a  finely  mounted  rose-shaped  cluster 
of  258  white  brilliants,  of  which  a  large  one  hi  the  middle 
weighing  about  twenty-four  grains  .  .  . ;  a  pair  of 
shoe-buckles  of  eighty-four  brilliants  ;  two  fine  sets  of  large 
brilliants  valued  at  120,000  livres  .  .  . ;  a  double  rope 
of  pearls  with  pendant,  consisting  of  about  two  hundred 
pearls  each  weighing  about  four  or  five  grains ;  a  large 
brilliant  at  the  top  of  the  pendant  weighing  twenty-five  to 
twenty-six  grains,  and  at  the  bottom  a  fringed  tassel  and  a 
knot  all  set  with  finely  mounted  brilliants  ;  a  pair  of  brace- 
lets of  six  rows  of  pearls  .  .  . ;  the  clasp  of  the  bracelet  is 
an  emerald  surmounted  by  a  monogram  in  diamonds  of 
two  L's  in  the  first,  and  a  D  and  a  B  in  the  second,  and  two 
padlocks  of  four  brilliants  ;  a  rope  of  one  hundred  and  four 
pearls  .  .  . ;  a  portrait  of  Louis  XV.  painted  by  Masse, 
surrounded  by  a  frame  of  laurel  leaves ;  the  said  portrait 
from  five  to  six  inches  high  ;  another  portrait  of  Louis  XV. 
painted  by  the  same  .  .  . 


258  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

"  Two  gold  chandeliers,  in  the  shape  of  torches  mounted 
on  two  golden  shafts,  enamelled  with  lapis  lazuli,  and 
surmounted  by  two  silver  turtledoves,  and  by  quivers  and 
arrows,  made  by  Durand ;  a  gold  case  enamelled  in  green, 
at  the  end  of  which  is  a  little  watch  made  by  Romilly, 
surrounded  by  four  rows  of  diamonds,  and  on  the  back  a 
coat  of  arms  ;  sixty-four  bezils  in  a  single  thread  forming  a 
collar,  of  finely  mounted  diamonds,  each  weighing  eight,  nine 
or  ten  grains  .  .  . ;  a  portrait  of  Louis  XIV.  by  Petitot ; 
.  .  .  a  writing-case  of  superb  old  lacquer  work,  enriched  with 
gold,  and  containing  gold  writing  requisites  .  .  . ;  two  little 
silver  toilette  candlesticks,  with  pearls  and  a  crest ;  a 
box  of  rock  crystal  contained  in  another  pierced  box ; 
Portuguese  gold  coins  ;  Spanish  guineas  and  half  guineas  ; 
a  medal  of  the  Noailles  ;  others  of  Louis  XV.,  in  each  corner 
of  which  are  fleurs  de  lys ;  others  by  Monsieur  Bignon,  by 
Monsieur  de  la  Michodiere,  and  by  Monsieur  Caumartin 
with  the  arms  of  Paris  ;  one  of  the  Regency  .  .  .  Two  lorg- 
nettes, one  enamelled  in  blue,  the  other  in  red  with  the 
portrait  of  the  late  King,  both  gold-mounted.  A  reliquary  of 
about  an  inch,  of  very  pure  gold,  enamelled  in  black  and 
white,  and  set  with  a  little  cross  .  .  ." 

This  list  is  but  a  portion  of  the  dazzling  mass  of  things 
stolen  from  the  Countess ;  her  caskets  enshrined  the 
exquisite  art  of  eighteenth  century  jewellery,  with  its 
splendour  of  diamonds  and  purity  of  pearls. 

The  notice  caused  a  great  sensation,  but  many  refused  to 
believe  in  the  folly  of  making  a  display  at  this  time,  when  the 
wisest  thing  the  nobility  could  do  was  to  seek  to  be  forgotten. 
Madame  Du  Barry  should  have  done  so  more  than  all, 
because  the  people's  accumulated  hatred  of  abuses  had 
added  much  to  the  legend  that  had  grown  about  her,  and 
Marat  himself,  their  oracle,  undertook  to  instruct  the  readers 
of  the  Ami  du  peuple  on  the  subject.1 

1  "  Know  that  what  the  National  Assembly  costs  the  State  during 
a  whole  year,  is  not  a  quarter  of  what  one  of  his  favourite  hussies 
cost  that  old  sinner,  Louis  XV.  Look  how  he  knuckled  under  to 
Julienne  (sic),  the  Du  Barry  who  used  to  walk  in  the  mud  of  the 
streets.  Ah  1  if  you  had  seen  her  twenty  years  ago,  covered  with 


SUSPICIOUS   NEIGHBOURS  259 

The  diamond  robbery  was  followed  by  an  outbreak  of 
threats  directed  against  her ;  she  was  denounced  for  her 
great  riches,  "  which  we  know  well  how  she  acquired,"  as 
the  journal,  Les  Revolutions  de  Paris  wrote ;  the  author 
continued  with  a  remark,  summing  up  the  rumours  current 
in  Louveciennes  and  Marly,  that  gave  some  rise  to  anxiety 
in  more  than  one  quarter.  "  One  need  not  hesitate  to  cast 
some  doubt  on  the  truth  of  the  theft ;  owing  to  the  threat 
of  a  considerable  reduction  of  her  income,  the  said  lady  is 
supposed  to  have  been  inspired  with  the  notion  of  making 
herself  interesting  by  letting  herself  be  thought  to  be  the 
victim  of  an  afflicting  mishap,  thus  securing  for  herself  a  claim 
to  the  indulgence  of  the  inexorable  National  Assembly." 
From  the  beginning,  therefore,  Madame  Du  Barry's  neigh- 
bours were  suspicious  of  the  incident.  Many  were  of  the 
opinion  that  the  theft  was  an  invention,  among  whom  were 
Zamore  and  Salanave  ;  and  later  these  two  servants  of  the 
Countess  gave  evidence  to  that  effect  before  the  Revolu- 
tionary Tribunal. 

It  is  strange  that  Parker  Forth,  the  English  agent,  should 
have  been  concerned  in  the  affair  from  the  outset.  He  kept 
up  a  close  correspondence  with  Madame  Du  Barry,  and  paid 
her  frequent  visits,  once  even  staying  the  night  with  her. 
His  appearance  on  the  scene  complicates  the  story  still 
more,  for  at  this  time  he  was  playing  a  most  perplexing 
part  in  France.  England  was  by  no  means  ignorant  or 
innocent  of  the  first  revolutionary  outbreaks.  Among  the 
crowd  of  agents,  said  to  be  in  the  pay  of  Pitt  and  sent  by 
him  to  stir  up  the  people  of  Paris,  Forth  was  from  the  earliest 
thought  to  be  the  most  formidable.  On  June  8,  1789,  a 
secretary  of  the  Marquis  de  la  Luzerne,  Louis  XVI. 's  Am- 
bassador in  London,  wrote  to  warn  his  government  against 
the  actions  of  this  dangerous  spy  : 

The  recent  tumults  in  France  are  looked  on  with  approval 

diamonds  !  Marry  !  you  should  have  seen  her  in  the  chateau  of 
Versailles,  or  pouring  out  the  golden  louis  of  the  nation  by  basket- 
fuls  into  the  hands  of  her  thieving  relatives.  .  .  ."  (L'Ami  du 
Peuple,  No.  277,  November  n,  1790,  Discours  aux  infortunts.) 


260  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

here  [in  London],  and  further  insurrection  is  hoped  for. 
The  Sieur  Forth,  who  has  already  been  in  France,  at  the 
opening  of  the  States-General,  and  who  spent  a  fortnight 
in  London,  disappeared  a  few  days  ago,  and  is  said  to  be  in 
the  country.  England  does  not  set  much  store  by  a  few 
thousand  pounds  sterling  for  bribing  an  incendiary  or  so, 
by  indirect  means.  If  there  are  any  people  of  that  descrip- 
tion in  France  and  Monsieur  Forth  is  there  too,  he  is  certainly 
concerned  in  the  intrigue.  He  always  takes  these  subord- 
inate parts,  and  is  all  the  more  to  be  feared  because  he  does 
not  lack  ability.1 

Such  was  the  man  who  directed  all  Madame  Du  Barry's 
movements,  and  who  placed  himself  at  her  disposal  both 
in  London  and  Paris  in  such  a  way  that  it  is  difficult  to  tell 
when  he  was  acting  for  her  and  when  fulfilling  his  role  as 
secret  agent.  Naturally  he  was  soon  accused  of  having 
engineered  the  Louveciennes  robbery  himself.2  "  Whatever 
the  trouble  may  be,"  said  Greive,  the  implacable  accuser 
of  the  Countess,  "  this  mysterious  robbery  has  given  her 
an  excuse  for  making  several  journeys  to  London,  of  which 
the  two  Courts  have  apparently  taken  advantage  to  send 
each  other  information,  etc.,  without  committing  the  crime 
of  emigration.  .  .  .  Such  art  and  foresight  are  indeed 
worthy  of  one  schooled  by  that  profound  master  of  Machi- 
avellism,  Forth." 

The  judicial  proceedings  against  the  unknown  thieves 
were  continued  at  Versailles  as  in  Paris.  All  the  Jewish 
receivers  of  stolen  goods  were  worried.  But  the  Countess 

1  Perth's  political  rdle  both  before  and  during  the  emigration 
should  be  studied.  The  papers  preserved  by  his  family  prove  that 
he  lent  the  Princes  sums  of  money  which  they  never  repaid. 

1  One  of  Perth's  letters  is  annotated  by  Greive  as  follows,  in 
Madame  Du  Barry's  dossier  :  "  Proof  of  her  intrigues  with  Forth, 
the  famous  English  spy,  who  has  intrigued  against  France  ever  since 
1777,  when  Franklin  was  here,  but  especially  since  the  Revolution. 
.  .  .  This  is  the  Forth  who  presumably  planned  with  her  the 
•ham  theft  of  diamonds  at  Louveciennes,  to  give  her  an  excuse  for 
her  journeys  to  London.  Never  was  plot  more  deeply  contrived. 
Read  Brissac's  instructions  to  her,  [?]  and  note  the  people  she  saw  in 
London."  Perth's  papers,  as  well  as  those  of  her  trial,  are  sufficient 
to  render  the  theory  of  a  previously  planned  theft  untenable. 


THE   ARREST   OF   THE   THIEVES          261 

remained  outwardly  calm  and  continued  to  live  her  life  as 
before.  Brissac  wrote  her  the  following  affectionate  little 
letter  alluding  to  her  misadventure : 

Wednesday,  February  2,  1791. 

Come,  dear  heart,  and  take  every  precaution  for  the 
safety  of  your  plate  and  other  precious  things,  if  you  have 
any  left.  Yes,  with  you  and  your  beauty,  your  kindness 
and  your  magnanimity,  I  am  quite  unnerved,  and  feel 
weaker  even  than  you.  And  why  should  I  not  be  so,  when 
I  feel  so  lively  an  interest  ?  Farewell,  and  come  soon.  Is  your 
arrival  known  ?  Did  you  not  tell  me  that  you  would  have 
a  supper-party  this  evening  for  ten  or  twelve  people  ?  Give 
me  your  commands  quickly  by  the  messenger,  who  will  at 
once  return.  Everything  will  be  ready  so  that  your  orders 
may  be  carried  out.  Farewell,  I  love  you  and  embrace 
you  with  all  my  heart.  Till  to-night. 

Forth  had  the  thieves  arrested  in  London,  and  Madame 
Du  Barry  heard  the  news  on  February  15  ;  they  were  three 
foreign  Jews  and  one  Frenchman,  who  wore  the  uniform  of 
the  National  Guard  and  said  he  was  a  broker.1  They 
maintained  that  they  had  bought  the  diamonds  in  Paris,  but 
found  no  means  of  proving  their  statement.  The  lawsuit 
began,  but  was  full  of  delays  and  complications  and  dragged 
out  for  an  interminable  length  of  time.  Madame  Du  Barry's 
heirs  tried  later,  but  in  vain,  to  regain  possession  of  the 
"  diamonds,  pearls  and  jewels  "  2  in  London,  that  had  been 
enumerated  by  her  jeweller  Rouen,  the  chief  witness  in  the 
case,  who  had  accompanied  her  on  her  journeys. 

Forth  informed  the  Countess  that  her  presence  in  England 
was  necessary  for  the  identification  of  the  stolen  goods. 
She  immediately  left  France,  accompanied  by  the  aged 

1  Archives  of  Seine-et-Oise.  Besides  the  informer  J.  B.  Level, 
the  thieves  were  one  Harris,  called  Abraham,  Simon  Joseph,  Jacob 
Moses,  and  Joseph  Abraham.  They  were  accused  by  the  great 
London  diamond-merchant  Leon,  called  Simon,  who  saw  Forth 
on  February  10. 

'  "  Supposed  to  be  stolen,"  said  Rouen,  as  if  he  doubted  the 
reality  of  the  theft  in  his  declaration  on  "  the  gth  day  of  the  2nd 
decade  of  year  2  of  the  Republic." 


262  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

Chevalier  d'Escourre,  the  Duke  de  Brissac's  aide-de-camp,1 
a  waiting-woman,  two  footmen,  one  valet,  and  the  jeweller 
Rouen.  At  Calais  she  was  joined  by  Forth,  and  on  February 
19  they  left  Boulogne.2  She  stayed  in  London  in  an  hotel 
in  Jermyn  Street,  kept  by  Grenier,  the  Duke  d'Orleans' 
former  cook. 

"  Madame  du  Barry  is  come  over  to  recover  her  jewels,  of 
which  she  has  been  robbed,"  wrote  Horace  Walpole  to  Miss 
Berry  on  February  26, 1791,  "  not  by  the  National  Assembly, 
but  by  four  Jews  who  have  been  seized  here  and  committed 
to  Newgate."  And  he  added  :  "  Though  the  late  Lord 
Barrymore  acknowledged  her  husband  to  be  of  his  noble 
blood,  will  she  own  the  present  Earl  for  a  relation,  when  she 
finds  him  turned  strolling  player  ?  " 

The  Countess  saw  very  few  people  during  this  first  stay 
in  London ;  but  Madame  de  Calonne  and  Forth  scarcely 
ever  left  her,  according  to  Blache,  a  French  spy,  who  kept 
careful  watch  on  her  movements,  much  to  her  future  harm. 
She  was  summoned  to  appear  before  the  Lord  Mayor,  and 
affirmed  on  oath  that  the  diamonds  were  hers.  Boydell, 
the  Lord  Mayor,  Walpole  wrote,  was  "  a  little  better  bred 
than  Monsieur  Bailly,"  and  "  made  excuses  for  being 
obliged  to  administer  the  oath  chez  lui,  but  begged  she 
would  name  her  hour  ;  and,  when  she  did  so,  he  fetched  her 
himself  in  his  state-coach,  and  had  a  Mayoroyal  banquet 
ready  for  her."  3 

1  The  Chevalier  d'Escourre  lost  his  life  because  of  this  journey, 
and  the  ones  after  it,  for  he  was  executed  as  Madame  Du  Barry's 
accomplice. 

1  An  autograph  note  by  Madame  Du  Barry  on  her  journeys  to 
England,  quoted  by  Vatel.  Forth  kept  a  diary  which  is  in  the  pos- 
session of  his  family.  We  have  kindly  been  allowed  to  make  extracts 
relevant  to  the  affair  of  the  theft :  "  February  n,  long  letter  to 
Mr.  Rouen,  giving  a  circumstantial  account  of  the  recovery  of 
Madame  Du  Barry's  Diamonds. — 15.  Confession  of  Harris. — 16. 
Set  off  to  Dover. — 17.  Arrive  Boulogne  at  9,  Madame  Du  Barry  at 
10  night. — 18.  Letter  to  Rouen. — 19.  Cross  to  Dover. — 21.  Dine 
Du  Barry,  Consultation  at  Baldwins. — 22.  Meeting  at  Ham.  Dine 
D.  B. — 24.  Examination  of  prisoners." 

*  Some  days  later  Walpole  corrected  his  information  ;  the  Lord 
Mayor  had  not  fetched  the  Countess  in  his  coach,  but  only  kept  her 
to  dinner. 


THE   VISIT   TO    ENGLAND  263 

The  Countess  left  London  with  Forth  on  March  i,  her 
lawsuit  not  even  opened,  and  on  the  4th  she  was  back  at 
Louveciennes.1  Had  she  already  some  commission  to  carry 
out,  and  if  so  for  which  party  ?  The  policy  of  the  Count 
d'Artois  now  deviated  from  that  of  the  Tuileries,  for  the 
Queen  was  strongly  opposed  to  the  proceedings  of  her 
brother-in-law's  counsellors,  Conde  and  Calonne.  Was 
Madame  Du  Barry  given  instructions  by  the  wife  of  the 
latter  ?  Was  she  the  bearer  of  information  for  the  Royal 
Family,  who  had  been  contemplating  flight  ever  since  the 
civil  Constitution  of  the  Clergy  ?  It  is  impossible  to  suggest 
any  kind  of  answer  to  these  questions.  On  April  4,  a  month 
after  her  return,  Madame  Du  Barry  again  left  for  England, 
with  a  passport  which  she  obtained  from  the  minister 
Montmorin. 

She  said  that  she  went  to  unravel  a  difficulty  that  had 
arisen  in  her  lawsuit.  What  is  certain  is  that  she  was 
provided  by  the  counter-revolutionary  bankers  Vandenyver,* 
of  Paris,  with  an  unlimited  letter  of  credit  on  Messrs.  P. 
Simon  and  J.  Hankey  of  London.  Her  presence  did  not 
prevent  the  release  of  the  thieves,  while  her  jewels  were 
sealed  up  and  deposited  in  a  bank.3 

On  the  other  hand,  her  intercourse  with  Forth  and  the 
emigres  was  closer  than  ever.  That  she  was  the  bearer  of 
correspondence  is  shown  by  the  following  unsigned  letter, 
which  escaped  her  destruction  of  the  papers  that  might 
compromise  her.  She  received  it,  on  the  eve  of  her  departure, 
from  Monsieur  d'Angiviller,  who  still  officiated  as  Director 
of  the  Office  of  Works,  but  who  was  arranging  to  leave  France 
in  consequence  of  threatened  danger  : 

1  The  dates  noted  by  the  Countess  may  be  verified  by  refer- 
ence to  Forth's  journal:  "March  i.  Set  off  Dover  at  9  with 
Madame  Du  Barry,  arrive  at  7. — 4.  Arrive  at  Paris,  Hotel  Brissac, 
at  10." 

*  The  bankers  had  dealt  with  the  Countess  since  1789,  contrary 
to  the  declaration  made  by  the  elder  Vandenyver,  in  his  evidence, 
on  the  nth  Brumaire,  Year  II. 

»  The  bank  was  that  of  Messrs.  Ransom,  Morland  and  Hammers, 
Pall  Mall. 


264  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

April  13. 

I  am  in  despair  at  not  being  able  to  wait  on  Madame  la 
Comtesse  for  her  commands.  But  I  am  expected  elsewhere, 
and  it  is  quite  impossible  for  me  to  have  the  honour  of  seeing 
her.  My  wife's  prayers  and  mine  follow  her  on  her  path  and 
accompany  her  return.  Will  she  be  so  kind  as  to  take 
charge  of  this  letter  ?  There  is  no  address,  but  Madame  la 
Countess  knows  to  whom  it  should  be  delivered. 

I  beg  her  to  accept  my  most  sincere  and  devoted  homage.1 

The  secret  letter  confided  to  her  care  was  for  Madame  de 
Calonne.  During  this  second  stay,  which  was  very  short, 
she  lived  in  Margaret  Street,  near  Oxford  Circus.  She  was 
made  very  welcome,  and  in  the  drawing-rooms  of  the  exiles 
joined  gatherings  that  were  a  France  in  miniature,  with  all 
the  graceful  elegance  of  that  country.  Vandenyver's  letter 
of  credit  made  it  possible  for  her  to  buy  two  English  horses, 
as  well  as  to  exercise  liberality  on  many  occasions  which 
find  no  mention  in  her  accounts.  She  returned  to  France 
on  the  2ist,  only  to  leave  for  England  again  two  days  later  ; 
an  express  which  she  received  on  the  very  night  of  her 
arrival  forced  her  immediately  to  retrace  her  steps. 

Though  the  Countess  may  have  meddled  with  politics 
when  abroad,  her  amusements  were  not  allowed  to  suffer ; 
but  for  a  few  days  after  her  arrival  she  was  compelled  to 
keep  her  room  owing  to  the  effects  of  the  crossing.  Her 
indisposition  is  referred  to  in  a  note  to  Mrs.  Boydell,  the 
Lady  Mayoress. 

Monday,  April  25. 

The  Countess  Du  Barry  has  the  honour  to  send  the  Lady 
Mayoress  her  compliments,  and  to  express  her  regret  at  not 
being  able  to  be  present  at  her  dinner-party,  which  she  would 
have  much  enjoyed.  The  Countess  Du  Barry  has  waited 
until  now  in  the  hope  that  the  pain  in  her  throat,  from  which 
she  suffers,  would  be  gone  ;  but  she  sees  with  concern  that 

1  Madame  Du  Barry's  examination  makes  it  possible  to  identify 
this  letter.  Monsieur  d'Angiviller  was  attacked  on  the  subject  of  his 
administration,  honest  though  it  was,  and  left  France  during  the 
following  month.  He  went  to  Italy  and  ended  his  life  in  Hamburg  ; 
his  wife  could  not  decide  to  follow  him,  and  stayed  at  Versailles, 
where  she  died  in  1808. 


FRIENDS    IN    LONDON  265 

she  must  abstain  from  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  Lady 
Mayoress  to-day.  The  Countess  Du  Barry  begs  My  Lady  to 
remember  her  to  the  Lord  Mayor. 

The  Countess  turned  to  various  people  for  help  in  her 
affairs.  She  obtained  a  recommendation  to  the  Lord 
Chancellor  ;  she  wrote  to  Lord  Hawkesbury,  who  obligingly 
placed  himself  at  her  service,  but  did  not  conceal  from  her 
that  the  laws  of  his  country  "  forbade  any  judge,  even  the 
Chancellor  himself,  to  interfere  with  the  actual  course  of  a 
trial."  Otherwise  she  did  not  permit  her  troubles  to  disturb 
the  agreeable  life  she  chose  to  lead.  It  was  not  long  before 
she  took  part  in  all  entertainments  and  receptions.  She 
saw  the  Tower  and  Westminster,  attended  divine  services 
in  St.  Paul's  Cathedral,  danced  at  Vauxhall,  and  was  seen 
at  Ranelagh,  which  was  "  among  the  most  striking  gardens 
to  be  seen  in  Europe." 

She  entertained  several  Englishmen  and  emigres  at 
dinner  and  card-parties.  She  was  on  the  best  of  terms  with 
Mrs.  Hobart,  who  was  soon  to  become  Countess  of  Bucking- 
hamshire ;  she  visited  Sans-souci,  the  country  house  of  this 
fair  lady,  who  was  said  to  have  made  "  as  many  conquests 
as  the  King  of  Prussia."  She  became  an  intimate  friend 
of  Mrs.  Sturt,  to  whom  she  sent  later  the  most  delightful 
letters,  full  of  sweet  memories,  that  led  to  charming  answers 
telling  her  how  much  London  had  appreciated  her  "  wit  and 
good-humour." 

Towards  the  end  of  June,  Madame  Du  Barry  witnessed 
the  arrival  of  her  friend  Calonne,  whom  the  Count  de 
Provence  had  sent  from  Coblenz,  to  ask  Pitt  for  help  or  at 
least  for  his  neutrality.  This  was  after  the  flight  to  Varennes, 
and  the  King's  brothers,  being  again  united,  dreamt  only 
of  seeing  France  invaded  by  confederated  Europe ;  there 
was  little  to  be  won  from  England,  who  would  have  nothing 
to  do  with  the  struggle  unless  she  could  thereby  further  her 
own  interests.  But  the  affair  in  which  Madame  Du  Barry 
intervened  was  of  less  importance  than  the  Revolutionary 
Tribunal  thought,  even  though  she  probably  placed  her 
improvised  salon  and  her  English  connections  at  the 


266  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

service  of  Monsieur  de  Calonne  while  he  was  carrying  out 
his  task. 

Madame  Du  Barry  stayed  on  in  London  after  his  departure, 
and  during  this  time  Cosway,  the  great  miniature-painter, 
made  the  last  known  portrait  of  her.  She  looks  small  and 
dainty  in  spite  of  her  age,  because  of  the  heavy  ringlets 
framing  her  face ;  the  expression  of  her  long  blue  eyes  is 
caressing,  the  lips  are  pouted  for  a  kiss.  She  is  wearing  a 
white  dress,  which  is  only  sketched  in,  and  has  a  collar  of 
rose  pearls  about  her  neck.  How  little  does  her  face  show 
of  the  torment  she  had  endured !  Indeed  she  lived  only 
for  the  moment ;  the  past  weighed  lightly  on  her,  and  the 
future  gave  her  no  anxiety,  for  she  had  the  serenity  and  the 
calmness  of  those  who  are  always  adored. 

In  Paris,  meanwhile,  Monsieur  de  Brissac  longed  for  her, 
and  perhaps  trembled  for  the  life  of  his  love  ;  she  too  dreamt 
of  her  dear  home,  and  her  eagerness  to  return  may  be 
divined  from  the  pressing  commands  she  gave  her  servants.1 
At  last  she  arrived,  on  August  25,  1791,  escorted,  as  ever, 
by  Forth,2  whom,  imprudent  that  she  was,  she  had  no  fear 

1  These  letters  of  the  month  of  July,  quoted  by  the  Goncourts  and 
Vatel,  are  full  of  instructions  to  Morin,  and  the  other  servants. 
"  I  am  miserable  enough  in  being  far  from  my  home  and  my  friends 
in  a  country  which,  whatever  one  may  say,  does  not  equal  what 
France  was  before  the  disturbances  that  trouble  her.  I  approve 
of  Morin's  plan  to  put  my  things  in  safety  ;  he  should  ask  the  Duke's 
advice,  but  carefully  so  that  no  one  may  suspect.  .  .  .  Morin 
must  tell  Mademoiselle  Roussel  to  put  all  my  lace,  which  is  in  the 
cupboard  in  the  chapel,  in  a  trunk  together  with  all  that  can  be 
stolen  or  burnt,  so  that  they  may  be  safe  from  all  kinds  of  attack. 
.  .  .  I  hope  we  shall  not  be  reduced  to  such  extremity,  but  we 
must  be  prepared  for  all.  With  extreme  grief  I  realise  that  I  must 
stay  here  until  August  14,  because  my  rascal  thieves  will  not  be 
judged  until  the  end  of  the  month.  .  .  ."  She  thought  of  all 
the  minute  affairs  of  Louveciennes,  of  all  the  little  debts  to  be  dealt 
with  by  Morin,  concerning  which  she  wrote  that  "  the  Duke  had 
sent  him  the  money  for  paying  them  off."  She  asked  that  Madame 
de  Vougny,  for  whom  Brissac  was  to  procure  a  passport,  should  be 
given  bottles  of  essence  of  vulnerary,  of  orange-flowers,  of  cherry- 
blossom,  and  "  some  of  my  pots  of  preserves,  made  last  year,  if 
there  are  any  left.  .  .  ."to  bring  her  in  England. 

*  Madame  Du  Barry  admitted  her  return  with  Forth,  in  her 
examination.  In  Forth's  diary  may  be  read  :  "  August  25.  Arrive 


MADAME    I>T    HARRY 
from  a  miniature  by  CoSTvay 


A   DANGEROUS   UNDERTAKING  267 

of  allowing  to  stay  with  her.  But  what  changes  had  Paris 
known  since  her  departure  !  what  tide  of  mad  happenings 
that  nothing  now  could  stem  !  Brisssac  had  lost  all  illusion 
and  in  his  heart  already  mourned  the  end  of  royalty. 

Madame  Du  Barry  rejoiced  to  find  herself  once  more 
"  on  the  hill "  of  her  long-deserted  Louveciennes.  And 
visitors  came  from  every  quarter  for  news  of  relatives 
and  friends,  whom  they  had  thought  would  be  not  long 
away,  but  whom  they  now  feared  that  they  would  not  see 
again  until  the  disturbances  were  over.  The  Countess  was 
beloved  by  all  for  showing  such  courage  and  kindness ; 
they  knew  she  was  once  more  going  to  undertake  the  perilous 
journey  to  comfort  the  exiles  and  bring  them  financial  help. 

In  the  meanwhile  her  home  was  held  to  be  the  safest 
place  for  their  gatherings  ;  select  little  dinner-parties  were 
very  frequent.  The  Countess  ordered  at  this  time  a  large 
marble  group  of  Beauty  disarming  Love  for  her  gardens, 
and  the  following  note  from  Monsieur  de  Brissac  written 
one  day  after  the  King  had  been  hunting,  is  sufficient  proof 
that  life  at  Louveciennes  had,  in  spite  of  the  political  ac- 
tivities of  its  mistress,  resumed  its  peaceful  course  : 

Monday,  October  3,  1791. 

My  little  dauphin  has  gone  ;  I  have  no  spectacles,  so  I 
only  write  you  a  single  word,  which  includes  all :  I  love 
you  for  ever,  in  spite  of  the  envious  old  people.  To-morrow 
I  dine  with  you,  and  I  shall  bring  Madame  de  Banville,  the 
Abbe  Billiardy  and  Monsieur  Le  Goust.  We  rode  eight 
leagues,  and  the  King  shot  three  pheasants  ;  my  breakfast 
had  to  serve  for  dinner  too.  I  love  you  and  embrace  you 
with  all  my  heart.  I  have  just  made  a  blot,  for  which  I  beg 
your  pardon.  There  is  no  news. 

Monsieur  Bertrand,  formerly  Lord-Lieutenant  of  Rennes, 
has  been  appointed  Secretary  of  State  for  the  Navy. 

at  Paris  at  10.  26.  See  Duke  of  Brissac.  Arrive  at  Luciennes 
at  9.  27.  See  Luciennes.  D.  Brissac  and  others  dine.  28.  id., 
id.  29.  Come  to  Paris."  Forth  spent  September  in  Paris,  in 
October  he  went  to  Versailles  to  give  evidence  in  the  robbery  trial ; 
on  November  3  he  wrote  :  "  Adieu,  D.  B.  and  D.  de  Brissac,  d* 
Armaille,  etc." 


268  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

But  circumstances  kept  Madame  Du  Barry  in  France  for 
many  long  months,  months  of  anguish  and  torment,  during 
which  she  had  heart  to  think  of  none  but  Brissac,  whose 
days  were  thenceforth  numbered.  The  arrest  of  the  King 
at  Varennes  signalised  the  defeat  of  the  monarchy.  The 
Assembly  completed  its  Constitution  and  made  changes 
in  all  administrative  and  judicial  institutions,  but  allowed 
the  Royal  Army  to  remain  in  its  entirety.  Only  the 
military  households  of  the  King  and  Princes  were  dis- 
banded and  were  replaced  by  a  Constitutional  Guard,  inde- 
pendently of  the  Guard  of  Honour.  This  Guard  numbered 
at  the  most  twelve  hundred  infantry,  and  six  hundred 
cavalry  to  be  chosen  by  the  King  and  paid  out  of  the  funds 
of  the  Civil  List. 

As  the  head  of  this  body  Louis  XVI.  appointed  the  Duke 
de  Brissac,  on  whose  fidelity  and  bravery  he  could  rely,  but 
to  whom  the  honour  was  to  prove  fatal.  The  Constitu- 
tional Guard  was  suspected  from  the  first  of  being  too 
devoted  to  the  King.  It  consisted  only  of  nobles  and  counter- 
revolutionaries, who  were  said  to  be  ready  to  turn  traitor 
the  moment  their  chief  gave  the  signal.  "  The  Du  Barry 
was  given  the  task  of  sounding  the  opinions  of  those  who 
sought  admission  to  its  ranks,"  *  said  the  persecutors  of 
the  Countess,  later  on.  One  of  them  declared  before  the 
Revolutionary  Tribunal  that  he  had  read  in  a  letter  that 
"  the  new  bodyguards  were  introduced  to  the  Du  Barry,  so 
that  they  might  give  expression  to  their  devotion  to  the 
person  of  the  King."  2 

No  doubt  some  of  the  officers,  who  wanted  to  serve  under 
the  Duke  of  Brissac,  made  application  to  his  mistress.  A 
letter  found  among  her  papers  shows  that  she  was  not 
thought  to  be  without  influence. 

Versailles,  the  28th. 

We  have  been  playing  a  game  of  hide-and-seek,  Madame 
la  Comtesse  ;  I  went  to  Marly  partly  for  the  honour  of  seeing 
you,  and  you  were  away  from  Luciennes  ;  I  went  to  Paris 

1  Fouquier-Tinville's  notes.     Vatel,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  262. 
»  Evidence  of  Blache.     Vatel,  Vol.  III.,  p.  278. 


DE   BRISSAC'S   ARREST  269 

and  sent  to  the  hotel  de  Brissac,  but  you  had  just  started 
back  for  Luciennes.  I  hope  you  will  be  so  kind  as  to  give 
me  an  interview  before  you  leave  for  England,  so  that  I 
may  for  a  moment  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  seeing  and  hearing 
you.  In  the  meantime,  I  should  like  to  give  you  an  oppor- 
tunity of  satisfying  your  love  of  doing  good  by  recommend- 
ing to  your  notice  a  man,  who  has  no  fortune  and  a  charming 
wife.  The  Revolution  has  made  him  leave  his  regiment. 
His  petition  will  inform  you  of  his  desires.  I  beseech  you  to 
be  so  kind  as  to  use  your  influence  with  the  Duke  de  Brissac 
on  his  behalf.  I  shall  be  infinitely  obliged  to  you. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  your  most 
humble  and  devoted  servant, 

Du  Bourdic,  nee  Baronne  De  1'Estang. 

Some  dissatisfied  members  of  the  regiment  soon  informed 
the  Legislative  Assembly  of  the  Royalist  spirit  among  them, 
and  the  number  of  both  signed  and  anonymous  denuncia- 
tions greatly  increased.  Suspicion  was  rife,  moreover,  for 
the  cause  of  Louis  XVI.  had  become  that  of  every  King, 
and  foreign  troops  were  invading  the  frontiers.  During  the 
sitting  of  May  29,  1792,  the  Assembly  heard  a  report  by 
Basire,  and  declared  in  consequence  that  there  were 
grounds  of  complaint  against  the  Commander-in-Chief  of 
the  Constitutional  Guard.  The  corps  was  forthwith  dis- 
banded. 

The  warrant  was  issued  on  the  3ist  at  one  o'clock  in  the 
morning  ;  the  Duke  de  Brissac  was  accused  of  treason  and 
summoned  to  appear  before  the  High  Court  sitting  at 
Orleans.  "  I  hastened  to  inform  the  King  and  Queen,  who 
were  in  bed,"  wrote  the  Duke  de  Choiseul  afterwards ; 
"  they  sent  me  to  Monsieur  de  Brissac's  rooms  to  propose 
to  him  means  of  flight,  and  to  give  him  certain  confidential 
advice.  He  was  in  bed ;  I  gave  him  my  message,  and 
warned  him  that  he  would  perhaps  be  notified  of  the  warrant 
within  two  hours,  and  begged  him  to  take  advantage  of  the 
time  left  him.  His  age  and  his  confidence  in  his  innocence 
prevented  him  from  accepting ;  and  I  must  say  that  the 
only  thing  he  did  was  to  write  a  long  letter  to  Madame  Du 
Barry,  which  he  sent  to  Luciennes  by  his  aide-de-camp, 


270  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

young  Maussabre".     His  only  thought,  his  only  care,  were 
for  Madame  Du  Barry." 

We  have  a  relic  of  these  tragic  moments  in  a  note,  written 
by  Madame  Du  Barry  in  passionate  haste,  before  she  knew 
the  decision  of  the  Assembly,  for  the  letter  was  never  sent 
and  was  found  among  her  papers  : 

Wednesday,  n  o'clock. 

I  was  seized  with  mortal  terror,  Monsieur  le  Due,  when 
Monsieur  de  Maussabre  was  announced ;  he  assured  me 
that  you  were  well,  and  were  calm  with  the  tranquillity  that 
comes  of  a  good  conscience.  But  that  cannot  satisfy  me ; 
I  am  far  from  you,  and  do  not  know  what  you  intend  to  do  ; 
you  will  say  you  do  not  know  yourself.  I  shall  send  the 
Abbe  to  find  out  what  happens  and  what  you  are  doing ; 
why  am  I  not  near  you  ?  I  should  endeavour  to  console 
you  with  my  faithful,  tender  love.  I  know  you  have 
nothing  to  fear,  if  only  the  assembly  is  governed  by  reason 
and  good  faith.  Farewell,  I  have  no  time  to  write  more. 
The  Abb6  has  come  to  my  room  and  I  want  to  send  him  off 
with  all  speed.  I  cannot  be  calm  until  I  hear  what  becomes 
of  you.  I  am  certain  you  have  not  transgressed  in  any  way 
in  forming  the  King's  Guard,  so  that  I  fear  nothing  for  you 
from  that  side.  Your  conduct  has  been  so  blameless  at  the 
Tuileries  that  you  can  be  accused  of  nothing.  Indeed,  your 
patriotic  actions  have  been  so  many  that  I  cannot  see  what 
they  can  find  to  attack.  Farewell.  Let  me  hear  from  you, 
and  have  no  doubts  as  to  my  feelings.1 

On  the  morning  after  his  arrest,  the  Countess  read  the 
long  farewell  love-letter  that  Brissac  wrote  to  her  during 
the  night.  Her  despair  may  be  imagined.  At  that  very 
hour  the  Duke  was  being  transferred  to  Orleans.  For 
two  days  she  anxiously  waited  for  news,  and  at  last  on 
June  2,  a  letter  came  from  Monsieur  de  Maussabr£  that 
allayed  her  terrible  misgivings  : 

1  Madame  Du  Barry,  when  questioned  as  to  this  letter  during  her 
trial,  said  she  had  not  sent  it,  because  one  of  the  Duke's  men  had 
brought  her  news  of  him.  The  Abbe  of  whom  she  spoke  was  their 
friend  the  Abbe  Beliardi  (often  called  Billiardi),  formerly  a  clerk  in 
the  Foreign  Office. 


AN    ANXIOUS   DAUGHTER  271 

Paris,  June  2. 
Madame  la  Comtesse, 

I  hasten  to  send  you  a  letter  from  Monsieur  de 
Brissac,  which  will  inform  you  that  he  arrived  at  his  des- 
tination without  suffering  the  slightest  accident.  I  should 
have  brought  it  you  myself,  if  I  had  not  had  several  import- 
ant commissions  to  carry  out ;  as  soon  as  I  have  finished 
them,  I  shall  set  out  for  Luciennes  to  tell  you  of  several 
important  details  which  you  ought  to  know.  Until  then, 
permit  me,  Madame  la  Comtesse,  to  have  the  honour  of 
offering  you  my  respects,  with  which  I  have  the  honour 
to  be 

Your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

Maussabre. 

There  was  another  woman  who  lived  in  mortal  anxiety 
for  the  life  of  the  Duke  de  Brissac,  and  that  was  his  daughter, 
the  Duchess  de  Mortemart,  who  had  heard  only  of  his 
arrest.  She  was  ill,  and  far  from  France,  for  she  had  followed 
her  husband  when  he  emigrated,  and  her  separation  from  her 
father  but  aggravated  her  fears.  From  Spa,  where  she  was 
taking  the  waters,  she  wrote  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  whom 
she  already  believed  to  be  in  Orleans,  having  perfect  faith 
in  her  devotion : 

June  5. 

Do  you  recognise  my  writing,  Madame,  which  you  have 
not  seen  for  three  years  ?  That  was  a  sad  time  when  you 
last  saw  it,  and  now  the  time  is  even  sadder  to  your  friend- 
ship and  my  feelings.  Ah  !  how  I  have  suffered  these  last 
two  days  !  His  courage  and  firmness,  the  praise  with  which 
he  is  loaded,  the  concern  he  rouses  in  all,  his  innocence, 
nothing  can  calm  my  terrified  imagination.  Monsieur  de 

and  I  wanted  to  leave  the  day  before  yesterday,  but 

several  people  of  weight  have  prevented  us.  They  thought 
such  a  step  dangerous  to  my  husband,  and  of  no  use  to 
my  father  ;  they  said  that  as  an  emigre  he  might  even  influ- 
ence people  against  him.  But  I,  Madame,  could  not  I  be 
of  some  service  to  him  ?  Can  I  not  hope  to  see  him  ?  How 
can  they  make  a  crime  of  a  sick  woman  taking  the  waters, 
a  crime  reflecting  on  her  father  ?  I  do  not  believe  they  can, 
and  what  else  have  I  to  fear  ?  If  you  think  I  can  help  him  in 


272  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

any  way,  whether  in  Paris  or  at  Orleans,  be  so  kind  as  to 
tell  me,  and  I  fly  there.  Are  there  any  means  of  hearing  of 
him,  of  communicating  with  him  ?  Tell  me,  I  beseech  you, 
and  I  will  hasten  to  employ  them.  A  man,  whom  perhaps 
you  do  not  know,  informs  me  you  have  left  for  Orleans.1 
Do  not  take  it  ill  if  I  say  that  such  a  sign  of  devotion  to  one 
so  dear  to  me  has  given  you  an  eternal  claim  on  my  heart, 
and  I  beg  you  to  accept  the  assurance  of  my  lifelong  regard 
for  you. 

I  trust  that  you  will  excuse  my  cutting  short  the  compli- 
ments that  end  a  letter,  and  I  pray  you  to  grant  me  the  same 
mark  of  friendship.  I  send  this  letter  to  some  safe  person  in 
Paris,  who  I  hope  will  have  it  delivered  to  you  without 
accident.  Pardon  my  scrawl. 

Monsieur  de  Brissac  was  destined  never  to  see  his  beloved 
daughter  again.  Madame  Du  Barry  replied  to  her  touching 
letter  with  the  advice  not  to  attempt  crossing  the  frontier. 
In  the  meantime  the  prisoner  was  kept  in  solitary  confine- 
ment until  June  14,  when  the  deed  of  accusation  reached  the 
High  Court.  After  that  his  mistress  was  allowed  to  visit 
him.  Every  day  she  sent  him  a  letter  by  the  hands  of  her 
coachman,  Augustin,  and  received  long  replies  in  return. 

The  Duke  was  confined  in  the  old  convent  of  Minimes, 
rue  Illiers,  and  occupied  cell  no.  8,  Monsieur  de  Lessart,  the 
ex-Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs,  having  given  it  up  to  him 
as  the  most  healthy.  He  was  allowed  one  single  servant. 
"  Prisoners  are  only  allowed  to  receive  those  who  have 
obtained  permission  to  enter,  in  their  respective  rooms," 
ran  one  of  the  prison  regulations.  There  for  the  last  time 
the  Duke  de  Brissac  had  the  joy  of  seeing  the  Countess, 
for  she  availed  herself  more  than  once  of  the  facilities  for 
travel  and  permissions  to  enter  that  were  granted  her. 

Mesdames  de  Mortemart  and  Du  Barry  felt  less  anxiety 
as  to  the  fate  of  the  prisoner,  after  the  King's  exhibition 
of  firmness  on  June  20,  1792.  The  Royalists  seemed  to 
have  won  certain  advantages,  and  the  Duke's  beloved 
daughter  wrote  to  the  Countess  in  more  hopeful  terms  : 

1  The  name  is  obliterated.  The  dash  a  little  higher  up  is  used 
instead  of  M.  de  Mortemart. 


DE   BRISSAC'S   EQUANIMITY  273 

June  23. 

I  am  infinitely  grateful  to  you,  Madame,  for  the  news  you 
have  been  so  kind  as  to  give  me.  As  your  letter  was  de- 
layed, I  only  got  it  at  the  same  time  as  one  from  my  father 
himself,  which  gave  me  great  joy.  I  have  since  learnt  that 
he  has  been  examined,  and  is  no  longer  kept  in  solitary 
confinement,  which  is  as  satisfactory  as  a  prisoner  may  ex- 
pect. In  spite  of  his  acknowledged  innocence,  I  fear  the 
proceedings  will  take  a  long  time,  and  I  should  indeed  be 
happy  if  I  could  be  of  some  use  or  comfort  to  him  during  his 
captivity.  For  some  days  we  have  been  anxious  about 
Paris  ;  people  seem  to  fear  further  trouble.  The  Duke  of 
Brunswick's  arrival  at  Coblenz  and  the  money  are  expected 
with  the  same  impatience.  They  said  this  evening  that  the 
French  were  beaten  at  Menin,  but  I  refuse  to  believe  it. 
Several  small  detachments  are  marching  there  to  surround 
them  and  cut  off  then-  return  to  France,  but  they  will  surely 
extricate  themselves  from  their  position  successfully.  After 
your  advice  and  that  of  several  others,  I  shall  continue  with 
my  waters,  which  are  most  malodorous,  and  cause  both 
fever  and  scurvy  ;  one  can  but  piously  believe  that  they  are 
all  for  the  best,  like  the  foul  weather  we  have  had  for  two 
months.  Above  all  one  must  have  patience,  which  is  a 
great  remedy.  Farewell,  Madame,  and  pardon  my  scrawls  ; 
be  assured  of  my  sincere  and  life-long  devotion. 

At  Minimes  Monsieur  de  Brissac  took  an  interest  in  his 
fellow-captives ;  he  had  the  ruined  refectory  of  the  old 
convent  fitted  up  for  games  of  shuttlecock  for  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  prisoners.  He  himself  studied  geography  and 
had  maps  bound  together  for  him  ;  Madame  Du  Barry  sent 
him  books  and  all  that  he  wished  for,  by  a  daily  messenger. 

At  the  frontiers  the  situation  was  becoming  serious,  and 
the  Brunswick  manifesto  violently  excited  the  feelings  of 
the  people  of  Paris.  The  mob  guessed  at  Louis  XVI. 's 
complicity  and  bore  him  even  more  ill-will  than  they  did  the 
enemy.  On  August  10  Brissac  learnt  of  the  Tuileries 
massacre  and  the  incarceration  of  the  Royal  Family  in  the 
Temple ;  the  news  foreshadowed  his  own  early  death,  and 
the  very  same  day  he  made  his  will.  He  made  Madame  de 
Mortemart  sole  legatee,  and  after  having  set  forth  his  last 


274  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

wishes  as  head  of  the  family,  he  added :  "I  also  earnestly 
recommend  to  her  a  person  who  is  very  dear  to  me,  and  whom 
these  unfortunate  times  may  place  in  the  greatest  distress. 
I  send  my  daughter  a  codicil  which  will  inform  her  of  my 
wishes  in  the  matter."  The  codicil  arranged  for  all  with 
intuitive  foresight : 

I  give  and  bequeath  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  of  Louveciennes, 
hi  addition  to  what  I  owe  her,  an  annual  income  for  life  of 
24,000  livres,  clear  and  exempt  from  all  charges,  or  else 
the  revenue  and  use  during  her  life  of  my  estates  of  La 
Rambaudiere  and  Le  Gramniere  in  Poitou,  with  the  furnish- 
ing thereof,  or  else  the  sum  of  300,000  livres  paid  at  once  in 
cash,  whichever  she  may  prefer.  ...  I  beg  her  to 
accept  this  small  token  of  my  gratitude  and  affection,  which 
I  owe  her  all  the  more  because  I  was  the  unintentional 
cause  of  her  losing  her  diamonds.  ...  I  beg  my 
daughter  to  make  her  accept  them  .  .  .  ,  my  wish  being 
that  all  my  other  legacies  should  wait  until  this  one  has  been 
fulfilled. 

Written  and  signed  by  my  own  hand,  at  Orleans,  this 
nth  day  of  August,  1792. 

Louis-Hercule-Timoleon  De  Cosse-Brissac.1 

At  the  same  time  the  Duke  wrote  the  following  note  to 
the  Countess,  who,  he  knew,  would  be  in  despair  : 

Orleans,  Saturday,  August  n. 

I  received  this  morning  a  most  charming  letter,  and  one 
that  has  pleased  me  more  than  any  I  have  had  for  a  long 
time.  I  thank  you  for  it.  I  kiss  you  a  thousand  and  a 
thousand  times  ;  you  will  indeed  be  my  last  thought.  We 
know  nothing  of  the  details.  I  groan,  I  shudder.  Ah ! 
dear  heart !  why  am  I  not  alone  with  you  in  a  desert  ? 
But  as  I  can  only  be  at  Orleans,  a  very  wearisome  place,  I 
kiss  you  a  thousand  and  a  thousand  times.  Farewell,  dear 
heart.  So  far  the  town  is  quiet.2 

1  This  codicil  was  brought  up  later  on  the  occasion  of  the  lawsuit 
between  Madame  Du  Barry's  heirs  and  those  of  Cosse-Brissac. 

*  Greive,  who  made  notes  on  this  letter  as  on  most  of  the  others, 
underlined  Brissac's  last  phrase,  and  remarked  :  "So  he  was  hoping 
for  a  disturbance." 


A   TERRIBLE   DEATH  275 

The  Countess  wept  at  Louveciennes,  as  did  Madame  de 
Mortemart  at  Spa.  Danger  seemed  imminent ;  pamphlets 
were  putting  a  price  on  the  head  of  Brissac,  "  formerly 
Governor  of  Paris,  formerly  Commander-in-Chief  of  the 
Du  Barry's  amusements  and  of  the  Royal  Guard,  and 
traitor  to  the  nation.  ...  A  fine  windfall  indeed  for 
the  National  High  Court !  A  reward  of  12,000  livres  to 
him  who  can  forestall  an  accident  and  make  another  Saint 
Denis  of  Monsieur  Timoleon  Cosse-Brissac."  l 

The  juxtaposition  of  their  names  cast  more  than  suspicion 
on  Madame  Du  Barry ;  she  suffered  still  more  from  the 
effects  of  a  search  made  at  Louveciennes  by  a  detachment 
of  the  National  Guard,  who  were  scouring  the  environs  of 
Paris  for  conspirators.2  She  was  just  then  sheltering 
Monsieur  de  Maussabre,  who  had  taken  part  in  the  defence 
of  the  Tuileries  on  August  10,  and  who  in  his  illness  and 
trouble  was  being  cared  for  by  the  Countess.  When  the 
Guards  came  she  maintained  that  no  one  besides  her  own 
household  was  there.  But  soon  they  found  the  young 
aide-de-camp  hidden  behind  a  bed.  In  vain  she  sought 
to  deprive  them  of  their  prey,  but  her  sobs  and  cries 
were  of  no  avail  against  the  drunken  fury  of  the  sans- 
culottes.3 

Monsieur  de  Maussabre  was  confined  in  the  Abbaye,  where 
he  met  with  a  terrible  death  some  days  later,  during  the 
September  massacres.  In  terror  of  the  mob  who  streamed 
into  the  prison  he  had  sought  refuge  in  a  chimney  ;  "  straw 
was  burnt  under  him  to  suffocate  him  and  make  him  come 
down ;  it  made  him  fall  and  he  was  shot  without  being 

1  Tetes  d  prix,  a  pamphlet  quoted  by  Vatel,  Vol.  III.,  p.  169. 

1  See  Xavier  Audouin's  evidence  (Vatel,  Vol.  III.,  p.  261) ;  he 
said  that  at  this  time  "  the  house  at  Luciennes  was  full  of  the  former 
noblemen  of  the  Court." 

1  "  They  found  an  unfortunate  youth  of  eighteen  years  lying  ill  in 
bed,  handsome,  brave,  zealous  and  sensitive,  young  Maussabre, 
who  was  related  to  many  a  great  French  family,  and  M.  de  Brissac's 
former  aide-de-camp.  .  .  .  They  seized  him,  for  this  was  their  last 
day  of  marauding,  and  they  wanted  at  least  one  prisoner.  .  .  ." 
(J.  Peltier,  Recit  historique  de  la  Revolution  du  10  aout,  London,  1793. 
Vol.  II.,  p.  209.) 


276  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

heard."  Madame  Du  Barry  was  told  the  dreadful  story  by 
Monsieur  d'Escourre. 

But  at  the  time  she  was  trembling  for  a  life  more  dear  to 
her.  In  view  of  the  need  for  recalling  to  Paris  the  National 
Guards  garrisoned  at  Orleans,  the  Assembly  decreed  on 
September  2,  1792,  that  the  prisoners  of  the  High  Court 
should  be  transferred  to  the  chateau  of  Saumur.  Eighteen 
hundred  men  were  sent  as  their  escort  and  guard  under  the 
command  of  Fournier,  the  American.  This  sinister  creature 
began  by  allowing  his  men  to  plunder  the  possessions  of  his 
charges,  and  then,  in  defiance  of  his  orders,  he  set  out,  not 
for  Saumur,  but  for  Paris.  The  fifty-three  prisoners  were 
conveyed  in  ten  carts,  with  only  straw  on  which  to  sit. 
They  left  Orleans  on  September  3,  to  cries  of  :  "  Down  with 
the  conspirators !  Down  with  the  traitors ! "  On  the 
6th,  they  halted  for  the  day  at  Etampes  ;  at  Arpajon  they 
stayed  a  night.  As  they  came  nearer  to  Versailles,  the 
hostility  of  the  people  became  more  and  more  threatening. 
"  Death  to  the  nobles  !  "  was  cried  on  every  side,  and  calm, 
handsome  Brissac,  distinguished  from  his  companions  for 
his  height,  was  attacked  more  than  all.  He  was  in  the  third 
cart,  and  wore  a  blue  suit  with  gold  buttons,  and  riding  boots. 

The  faithful  Escourre  was  the  first  to  give  the  Countess 
news  of  this  journey  : 

Paris,  September  6,  1792. 

The  Orleans  prisoners  will  be  at  Versailles  to-morrow. 
Two  men  have  been  sent  by  the  Commune  to  meet  them,  and 
to  tell  the  National  Guard  bringing  them  that  it  has  already 
broken  the  law  and  must  be  responsible  for  what  may  happen 
to  the  prisoners,  who  ought  to  be  judged  legally.  We  must 
hope  that  they  will  arrive  safe  and  sound,  and  that  by  gaining 
time  their  lives  will  be  saved.  Moreover,  the  Assembly  is 
weary  of  bloodshed,  and  is  suggesting  an  amnesty ;  the 
sacrifice  would  not  be  very  great,  considering  that  no  one  is 
guilty.  .  .  . 

I  have  received  ten  letters  from  Orleans  for  the  deputies, 
begging  them  to  prevent  the  dangers  that  threaten  the 
unfortunate  Orleans  prisoners,  who,  they  say,  will  be  mur- 
dered on  their  arrival.  I  delivered  them  at  once.  When 


MURDER   OF   DE   BRISSAC  277 

Madame  de  Maurepas  heard  of  the  transference  of  the  Duke 
she  wished  at  once  to  go  to  the  Assembly,  but  she  was 
prevented.  She  has  written  to  Danton  and  to  the  Abb6 
Fauchet.  Madame  de  Flamarens  and  I  took  the  letters, 
which  have  roused  the  lively  interest  of  the  Abbe  Fauchet. 
.  .  .  I  am  depressed,  body  and  soul,  and  shall  have  no 
peace  until  I  know  that  the  Duke  is  at  Versailles,  if  one  can 
get  there ;  I  shall  send  there  if  I  cannot  go.  You  should  send 
too,  but  above  all  be  careful  to  avoid  any  action  that  may 
become  public  and  prejudice  people  against  you.1 

At  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  the  procession 
reached  the  gates  of  Versailles.  The  mob  pressed  forward 
threateningly  to  meet  the  prisoners,  for  then-  hatred  had 
been  stirred  up  still  more  by  the  long  delay.  "  They  entered 
the  town  by  Petit-Montreuil,  crossed  the  Place  d'Armes, 
went  down  the  rue  de  la  Surintendance,  seeming  to  be 
going  in  the  direction  of  the  rue  de  I'Orangerie."  The 
Council  of  the  Commune  had,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  decided 
to  shut  them  up  in  the  cages  of  the  old  menagerie  in  the 
Park,  a  proceeding  "  which  would  have  the  advantage  of 
satisfying  popular  censure,  as  well  as  of  weakening  the  mob's 
feelings  of  hatred,  by  replacing  them  with  those  of  con- 
tempt." 

But  the  furious  crowd  shouted,  "  Give  us  at  least  Brissac 
and  Lessart !  "  One  of  them  closed  the  gates  of  the  town. 
The  unfortunate  prisoners  had  to  turn  back,  and  by  the 
fountain  of  Quatre-Bornes  they  encountered  the  savage 
mob.  The  troops  withdrew,  and  they  were  attacked  with 
swords  and  pikes  and  bayonets.  Brissac  defended  himself 
with  a  knife,  and  then  with  a  cudgel ;  he  received  terrible 
wounds  in  the  face,  "on  nose  and  mouth  and  forehead," 
but  he  fought  to  the  very  end. 

At  Louveciennes  Madame  Du  Barry  anxiously  watched 
at  her  windows  for  the  return  of  her  messengers.  Every 
hour  that  passed  added  to  her  anguish  ;  evening  came  and 

1  It  would  be  surprising  that  the  Duchess  de  Brissac  made  no  use, 
in  her  account  of  the  Duke's  last  days,  of  a  letter  so  important  as 
this,  if  the  same  omission  had  not  been  made  of  all  papers  relating 
to  his  liaison  with  Madame  du  Barry. 


278  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

she  scarcely  dared  imagine  the  terrible  truth,  when  the 
£«  ira  announced  the  arrival  of  a  strange  procession  to 
the  village.  Ragged  men  came,  bearing  a  blood-stained 
trophy  at  the  point  of  a  pike  ;  it  was  the  head  of  Brissac, 
and  they  hurled  it  with  insults  into  the  poor  woman's 
salon.1 

"  Since  that  day,  Monsieur,"  she  said  to  a  friend  some 
time  afterwards,  "  I  have  been  in  misery,  as  you  may  well 
imagine.  Thus  was  that  terrible  crime  consummated, 
which  has  made  me  so  unhappy  and  filled  my  life  with 
eternal  grief  !  In  the  midst  of  the  horrible  happenings 
around  me  I  retain  my  health.  One  does  not  die  of  grief. 
I  am  deeply  moved,  Monsieur,  by  your  interest,  which 
would  soften  my  misery,  if  I  did  not  feel  it  every  moment. 
I  heard  news  of  your  wife  to-day,  and  suppose  she  will 
soon  come  to  see  me.  I  expect  her  with  impatience  ;  there 
is  consolation  in  meeting  with  people  who  share  our  senti- 
ments, and  I  regret  every  moment  I  spend  away  from 
them."2 

Madame  Du  Barry  wrote  also  to  another  woman  who  had 
been  dear  to  the  murdered  man.  Brissac's  exiled  daughter 
could  not  be  reconciled  to  his  fate  ;  his  horrible  end  had 
inflicted  lasting  injury  on  her  soul : 

No  one  can  feel  more  than  I,  Madame,  the  extent  of  the 
loss  you  have  sustained.  I  flatter  myself  that  you  do  not 
mistake  the  motive  which  has  withheld  me  from  writing  to 
you  before  and  mingling  my  tears  with  yours.  The  fear  of 
increasing  your  grief  prevented  me  from  speaking  of  it. 
Mine  is  at  its  height ;  a  career  that  should  have  been  [so] 
fine,  so  glorious  !  And  what  an  end  !  Great  God  !  The 
last  wish  of  your  most  unfortunate  father,  Madame,  was 
that  I  should  cherish  you  like  a  sister  ;  the  wish  is  too  much 
in  accordance  with  my  feelings  for  me  not  to  carry  it  out. 

1  The  Courrier  Franqais  of  September  15,  1792,  wrote  :  "  They 
say  that  Monsieur  de  Brissac's  head  was  carried  to  Luciennes  and 
left  in  Madame  du  Barry's  salon."  Vatel,  after  quoting  the  words, 
adds  simply  that  "  some  years  ago  a  skull  was  found  in  the  gardens, 
which  had  been  buried  near  the  road  leading  to  Prunay." 

*  This  letter  was  perhaps  written  to  Monsieur  de  Neuville,  a 
relative  of  the  Countess. 


A    BROKEN    HEART  279 

Rest  assured  thereof  and  do  not  doubt  my  life-long  devotion 
and  attachment.1 

Madame  de  Mortemart  replied  with  the  same  expressions 
of  grief  : 

September  30. 

This  morning,  Madame,  I  received  your  letter  of  September 
22.  I  must  thank  you  for  the  good  it  did  me,  for  it  has 
lessened  the  misery  of  my  heart,  and  given  me  the  relief  of 
tears.  A  score  of  times  have  I  sat  pen  in  hand,  to  write  to 
you  of  my  grief,  to  tell  you  of  my  bruised,  my  broken  heart, 
to  say  how,  since  the  fatal  day  when  he  left  Paris,  I  have 
suffered,  and  still  suffer  more  than  I  can  express.  But  I 
thought  wisest  to  delay  writing  to  you  until  I  could  restrain 
some  of  the  feelings  of  my  heart,  a  heart  that  would  fain  pour 
out  its  misery  to  you,  who  share  my  unhappiness. 

The  last  wish  of  him  whom  I  love  and  regret  for  ever,  is 
also  my  own  heart's  wish ;  I  shall  love  you  like  a  sister, 
and  my  devotion  will  be  life-long.  His  least  desire  is  to 
me  a  sacred  command,  and  I  trust  to  be  able  to  carry  out  all 
that  he  expressed,  or  would  have  expressed,  hi  his  last 
moments,  and  shall  spare  nothing  in  so  doing. 

Pardon  my  scrawl ;  I  have  such  pain  in  my  head  that 
my  sight  suffers. 

Pray  accept,  Madame,  the  assurance  of  my  sincere  and 
eternal  friendship. 

1  In  the  National  Archives;  the  rough  copy  of  the  letter  was 
pinned  to  the  original  of  the  reply  by  Madame  du  Barry  herself. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE   LAST  DAYS   OF  A   FAIR   CONSPIRATOR 

Madame  Du  Barry's  fourth  Journey  to  London — Her  new  Connect- 
ions among  the  Emigres — Her  Return  to  Louveciennes — The 
Duke  de  Rohan-Chabot's  Love — The  Accusations  of  Citizen 
Greive — First  Arrest  of  Madame  Du  Barry — Second  Arrest — 
The  Prison  of  Sainte-Pelagie — "  Charges  against  the  Du  Barry  " 
—The  Trial— The  Sentence— The  Guillotine. 

ONE  month  after  her  friend's  tragic  end,  Madame  Du 
Barry  left  for  England.    The  principal  reason  for 
her  visit  was,  as  before,  the  diamond  robbery,  but 
she  had  many  others  as  well.    Chief  among  them 
were  the  longing  to  escape  for  a  moment  from  a  scene  full 
of  such  terrible  associations,  and  the  wish  to  bring  news  and 
help  from  France  to  the  expectant  emigres.     For  a  whole 
year  they  had  been  without  their  faithful  messenger,  the 
kind-hearted  Countess,   and  now  she  returned  to  them, 
herself  in  affliction,  and  all  the  more  compassionate  for 
having  wept  and  suffered  at  the  hands  of  those  who  had 
made  them  suffer  too. 

Was  she  a  secret  agent  of  the  Emigration  as  her  enemies 
then  formally  accused  her  of  being  ?  Had  she  "  conspired  "  ? 
Her  journeys  made  it  easy  for  her  to  serve  the  ends  of  a 
party  and  to  place  her  wit  and  intelligence  at  the  disposal 
of  the  counter-revolutionary  plotters.  Her  well-known 
political  sympathies,  her  connection  with  so  many  aristocrats 
and  her  tenderness  of  heart  are  evidence  enough  of  her 
complicity,  even  if  the  documents  produced  at  her  trial 
had  given  convincing  proof  to  the  contrary. 

This  fourth  journey  was  undertaken  at  a  much  more 
dangerous  time  than  the  previous  ones.  The  monarchy 
had  been  destroyed  and  the  decrees  issued  against  the 
emigres  were  becoming  extremely  rigorous.  As  an  already 

280 


A   JOURNEY   TO    LONDON  281 

suspected  person,  the  Countess  took  every  precaution  to 
secure  a  peaceful  journey,  by  application  to  the  authorities. 
Her  passport  was  signed  by  Lebrun,  the  Minister  for  Foreign 
Affairs,  whom  she  had  known,  and  perhaps  even  protected, 
when  he  was  one  of  the  Chancellor  Maupeou's  secretaries. 
On  the  very  day  that  the  Convention  solemnly  abolished 
the  monarchy,  he  sent  her  the  following  note  that  still 
breathes  the  courtesy  of  the  old  regime  : 

Paris,  September  21,  1792,  the  IVth  year  of 

Liberty  and  Equality. 

I  have  the  honour  to  inform  you,  Madame,  that  your 
passports  have  at  last  returned  to  me  from  the  local  authori- 
ties, examined  and  quite  in  order.  I  beg  you  to  be  so  kind  as 
to  send  a  trustworthy  person  to  fetch  them.  I  believe  such 
a  precaution  necessary  to  prevent  them  falling  into  the 
wrong  hands.  I  am  very  sorry  for  the  delays  you  have 
suffered,  but  assure  you  they  are  not  of  my  doing. 

Lebrun, 
Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

These  precautions  notwithstanding,  Madame  Du  Barry 
was  afraid  of  being  accused  of  emigrating,  and,  to  make  still 
more  sure,  she  wrote  to  the  Minister,  on  the  advice  of  such 
friends  as  d'Escourre  and  de  Juilhac  : 

Louveciennes,  October  2. 

I  have  received,  Monsieur,  the  letter  you  honoured  me 
by  writing,  as  well  as  the  passports  ;  and  I  am  touched  at 
the  trouble  you  have  taken  to  have  them  examined.  But 
as  there  is  reference  neither  in  your  letter  nor  in  the 
passport  to  my  journey  to  London,  where  my  presence  is 
required  for  my  unfortunate  lawsuit,  I  fear  to  meet  with 
difficulties  when  crossing  ;  and  besides,  if  my  local  authorities 
think  I  am  not  authorised  to  make  a  journey  abroad,  they 
may  look  on  me  as  having  emigrated,  and  consequently 
affix  their  seal  to  my  possessions.  May  I  venture  to  hope, 
Monsieur,  that  your  kindness  and  the  wish  you  have  ex- 
pressed of  being  of  service  to  me,  will  induce  you  to  enlighten 
me  on  the  matter?  I  believe  one  word  from  you  would 
dispose  of  all  difficulties,  and  would  obviate  any  discomfort 
I  might  otherwise  meet  with. 


282  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

I  beg  you  to  be  persuaded,  Monsieur,  of  the  lively 
gratitude  with  which  I  have  the  honour  to  be 

Your  most  humble  and  obedient  servant, 

Du  Barry. 

In  spite  of  the  indiscretion  of  her  urgent  request,  Lebrun 
hastened  to  obey.  The  Revolutionary  Tribunal  did  not 
fail  to  animadvert  upon  the  Minister's  weakness  for  the 
woman  who  had  formerly  treated  him  with  kindness,  and 
whom  he  now  dared  not  repulse. 

Paris,  October  2,  1792.     Year  I.  of  the  French 

Republic. 

As  it  is  certain,  Madame,  that  you  only  go  to  England  to 
be  present  at  the  trial  of  those  who  stole  your  jewels,  I  do 
not  think  your  local  authorities  can  regard  you  as  an  emigrte, 
nor  that  they  will  go  so  far  as  to  treat  you  as  such,  by  affix- 
ing their  seal  on  your  possessions  during  your  absence.  But 
in  order  to  avoid  every  mistake  and  reassure  yourself  on 
this  point,  you  would  do  well  to  go  in  person  and  renew 
your  declaration  on  the  registers  of  the  municipality  of 
Louveciennes  ;  you  should  ask  for  a  copy  of  the  declaration, 
which  you  should  keep  by  you  in  case  of  need. 

Lebrun, 
Minister  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

The  local  authorities,  whom  the  lady  of  Louveciennes 
informed  of  her  departure,  were  honest  men  who  were  still 
well  disposed  towards  her.  "  I  formally  bind  myself  to 
return  to  France  as  soon  as  my  lawsuit  is  at  an  end,"  she 
said,  and  she  alluded  to  her  generous  response  to  patriotic 
taxation,  and  to  the  proofs  she  had  given  of  her  "  civism," 
and  her  "  respect  for  the  law."  She  wrote  also  to  the 
President  of  the  Convention,  and  on  October  14  she  left, 
travelling  modestly  by  stage-coach  as  far  as  Calais.  With 
her  she  brought  the  Duchess  de  Brancas,  whose  passport 
was  quite  in  order,  and  the  Duchess  d'Aiguillon,  who  was 
emigrating  and  went  as  her  waiting- woman.1  This  time 

1  Evidence  of  Blache  at  Madame  Du  Barry's  trial.  "  Who  is  the 
Dame  Brancas,  whom  you  mention  in  your  invitations  to  the  Duke 
of  Qtrinsburi  [sic]  ? — She  is  the  Dame  Brancas  who  accompanied  me 
on  my  last  journey  to  London.  She  was  on  her  way  to  Holland  to 


THE    PLIGHT   OF   THE    ROYALISTS         283 

the  travellers  were  accompanied  by  the  Chevalier  de  La 
Bondie,  d'Escourre's  nephew. 

The  Countess  met  in  London  the  same  elegant  world 
of  emigres  who  had  received  her  with  such  cordiality  before. 
But  this  visit  was  not  an  occasion  for  entertainments  and 
amusements.  She  was  in  deep  mourning,  and  of  all  that 
sorrowful  circle  she  bore  the  heaviest  burden  of  grief.  Bad 
news  came  from  the  Continent ;  the  allies  were  beaten  on 
every  side  by  the  Republican  armies  ;  the  French  Princes 
were  in  flight  with  creditors  on  their  track ;  and  their 
companions  in  exile  were  enduring  all  the  terrors  of  poverty. 

In  England  the  assistance  they  received  was  better 
distributed ;  the  money  came  straight  from  France  in  the 
hands  of  new  exiles  or  secret  agents.  Among  the  latter  was 
Madame  Du  Barry.  She  gave,  and  gave  lavishly ;  but 
the  sufferings  of  all  could  not  be  alleviated.  Day  by  day 
they  grew.  The  young  Rene  de  Chateaubriand  was  dying 
of  starvation  in  the  streets  of  London.  The  priests, 
especially,  succumbed  in  thousands  to  the  privations  which 
a  generous  reception  could  but  slightly  moderate.  Madame 
Du  Barry  did  her  share  of  the  work  undertaken  by  the  pre- 
lates who  had  found  a  refuge  in  London,  Monsieur  Blot  de 
Chavigny,  Bishop  of  Lombez,  and  Monsieur  de  La  Marche, 
Bishop  of  Saint-Pol-de-Leon,  who  organised  collections 
and  subscriptions.  When  the  venerable  Cardinal  de  la 
Rochefoucauld,  Archbishop  of  Rouen,  arrived,  she  placed 
at  his  disposal  the  sum  of  two  hundred  thousand  livres. 

The  Countess  and  the  Duchess  de  Brancas  took  a  furnished 
house  in  Bruton  Street,  Berkeley  Square,  which  Madame 
de  la  Suze  gave  up  for  them.1  She  sent  for  the  Duchess  de 
Mortemart,  and  the  "  sisterly  friendship  "  between  them, 

claim  her  inheritance,  her  father  having  recently  died  there.  She 
had  obtained  a  passport,  not  from  the  Minister  Lebrun,  but  from 
another  who  preceded  him  in  the  Ministry."  Madame  de  Brancas 
intended  to  meet  several  friends  in  London,  notably  the  Marquis  de 
Bouille,  as  may  be  seen  from  his  son's  memoirs. 

1  Danloux's  information  as  to  where  she  lived  is  more  reliable  than 
that  of  Blache.  In  the  examination  of  La  Bondie,  Mesdames  de  la 
Suze  and  de  Gaucourt  [Jaucourt]  were  mentioned  as  among  her 
earliest  visitors. 


284  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

that  Monsieur  de  Brissac  had  wished  for,  was  begun.  The 
Princess  d'Henin  also  came  to  live  in  Bruton  Street,  as 
well  as  the  Abbe  de  Saint-Phar,  Monsieur  de  Breteuil, 
and  another  of  Louis  XVI. 's  Ministers,  Bertrand  de 
Moleville. 

Thus  Madame  Du  Barry  associated  constantly  with  the 
group  of  Constitutionalists  ;  she  also  used  to  see  the  Abbe" 
Sabatier  de  Castres  and  Monsieur  de  Curt,  a  member  of 
the  Constituent  Assembly.  Then  she  also  visited  Monsieur 
de  Narbonne,  in  whose  salon  she  was  observed  by  a  spy, 
together  with  Monsieur  de  Talleyrand  and  several  "  former 
Bishops  and  noblemen."  l  She  was  on  good  terms  with  all 
parties ;  when  the  Bouilles  arrived,  she  welcomed  them  as 
cordially  as  she  did  the  La  Tour  du  Pins  ;  her  salon  was 
open  without  distinction  to  the  spokesmen  of  the  most 
varied  opinions,  for  all  were  drawn  together  by  the  common 
lot  of  exile.  Every  one  liked  her,  and  did  justice  to  her 
good  qualities ;  but  she  seems  to  have  acted  with  great 
imprudence,  and  by  taking  intimate  part  in  the  life  of  the 
emigres,  to  have  wished  to  share  the  furious  hatred  they  had 
roused. 

As  a  rule  the  card-parties  in  the  house  in  Bruton  Street 
were  given  by  Madame  Du  Barry.  The  painter  Danloux, 
the  self-constituted  and  indiscreet  chronicler  of  the 
doings  of  the  society  that  he  frequented,  who  dealt  so 
unsparingly  with  feminine  reputations  among  the  emigres, 
had  nothing  on  which  to  remark  in  the  conduct  of  the 
Countess.  The  most  that  he  could  do  was  to  reflect 
on  the  high  play  that  sometimes  took  place  at  her  house. 
"  Monsieur  d'Attilly,  a  former  officer  in  the  Royal  Guards, 
asked  Monsieur  de  La  Charce  [de  la  Tour  du  Pin]  if  he  had 
stayed  late  at  Madame  Du  Barry's  yesterday.  '  I  stayed 
until  midnight,'  he  replied ;  '  I  played  and  lost,  but  not 
much,  only  twenty-eight  shillings.'  '  That's  nothing,  papa,' 

1  Declaration  by  Viard,  made  at  the  sitting  of  the  Convention  of 
December  7,  1792.  Madame  Du  Barry  admitted  having  seen 
Monsieur  de  Cruesol,  Monsieur  de  Poix,  Monsieur  de  Cahouet,  and 
once  only  Monsieur  de  Colonne,  and  Monsieur  d'Aiguillon. 


ENEMIES   OF   FRANCE  285 

said  his  son,  '  compared  to  the  other  day.'  .  .  ."  "I 
addressed  myself  to  Monsieur  de  la  Charce,"  added  the 
painter,  "for  I  thought  that,  as  I  gave  drawing-lessons  to 
his  son,  he  might  be  ready  to  be  of  service  to  me  if  occasion 
arose.  I  told  him  that,  as  he  often  went  to  see  Madame  Du 
Barry,  who  knew  several  Englishmen,  I  should  be  very 
pleased  if  he  would  persuade  her  to  come  and  see  my 
pictures.  .  .  ."1 

English  society,  which  only  welcomed  the  emigres  of 
note,  received  Madame  Du  Barry  with  great  cordiality. 
At  Windsor  she  was  presented  to  George  III.  by  the  Duke  of 
Queensbeny,  whom  in  her  youth  she  had  met  as  William 
Douglas  hi  Paris.  In  a  delightfully  intimate  note  inviting 
Queensbeny  to  dinner,  she  mentioned  that  she  would  bring 
the  Duchess  de  Brancas.  Through  the  Duke  she  was  able 
to  make  the  acquaintance  of  the  English  aristocracy,  whose 
curiosity  had  been  roused  by  her  celebrity,  and  who  were 
captivated  by  her  distinction  and  charm.  Her  conversa- 
tion with  Pitt,  who  had  already  decided  on  war,  touched  on 
serious  matters,  and  her  communications  with  certain  people 
were  one  day  to  be  used  against  her  with  the  most  damaging 
effect.  A  note  from  Lord  Hawkesbury,  for  instance,  that 
was  found  among  her  papers,  made  it  possible  for  her 
persecutors  to  establish  her  guilty  connection  with  the 
enemies  of  France.2 

The  Marquis  de  Bouille  described,  hi  his  memoirs,  his 
first  meeting  with  the  former  favourite. 

At  the  time  when  I  supped  with  the  mistress  of  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  I  often  met  in  London  a  woman,  who  had  been 
similarly  honoured  with  Royal  favour,  but  whose  position 
was  of  more  importance  and  gave  rise  to  more  scandal,  and 
whose  fame  excited  my  curiosity  and  even  my  interest  to  a 

1  Unpublished  memoirs  of  Danloux  (communicated  by  the  Baron 
R.  Portalis). 

•  Greive  annotated  Lord  Hawkesbury's  note  as  follows :  "A 
letter,  proving  her  intrigues  with  George  III.'s  courtiers.  This 
Lord  H.  is  the  secret  adviser  of  the  tyrant,  who  rules  Pitt  himself 
and  has  for  twenty  years  in  reality  held  the  reins  of  government  in 
his  hands.  ." 


286  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

much  greater  degree.  This  was  the  too  famous  Madame 
Du  Barry.  She  had  come  to  London  on  account  of  a  law- 
suit that  had  been  going  on  for  some  years  in  connection 
with  the  theft  of  her  diamonds,  and  in  order  to  escape  from 
the  scenes  of  savagery  to  which  her  lover,  the  Duke  de 
Brissac,  had  some  months  before  fallen  a  victim,  almost 
before  her  very  eyes,  and  whither  she  had  the  imprudence 
and  misfortune  to  return  soon  after,  only  to  meet  with  as 
cruel  a  fate.  She  lived  with  the  Duchess  de  Mortemart, 
Monsieur  de  Brissac's  daughter,  her  fatal  devotion  to  whose 
interests  was  the  cause  of  her  return  to  France,1  and  with 
the  Duchess  de  Brancas.  The  intimate  relations  between  the 
latter  and  my  father  opened  the  doors  of  their  house  to  me, 
and  we  spent  nearly  all  our  evenings  there. 

.  .  .  Madame  Du  Barry  was  then  about  forty-seven, 
and  it  was  rather  late  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  a  woman 
whose  beauty  had  been  her  merit,  her  fortune,  and  her 
renown.  But  although  the  freshness  and  first  splendour  of 
her  charms  had  long  since  vanished,  the  traces  that  remained 
were  sufficient  to  give  some  idea  of  the  effect  they  must  have 
had.  Her  eyes  were  still  large  and  blue,  and  with  the 
sweetest  expression  imaginable ;  there  were  still  the  beautiful 
fair,  chestnut  hair,  the  lovely  mouth,  the  rounded  oval  of  her 
face,  whose  heightened  colour  did  not  detract  from  its 
charm ;  her  noble,  elegant  figure  still  retained  some  of  its 
supple  grace,  in  spite  of  a  slight  tendency  to  portliness ; 
and  finally  there  were  the  voluptuous  curves  of  her  figure, 
that  her  attire,  especially  in  the  morning,  scarcely  concealed. 
Her  disposition  was  in  no  sense  common,  much  less  vulgar  ; 
though  without  pretensions  to  brilliance,  she  had  more 
wit  than  people  gave  her  credit  for  ;  besides,  her  goodness  of 
heart,  no  less  than  her  simplicity,  should  have  been  sufficient 
compensation.  ...  I  did  not  gain  so  much  from  my 
conversations  with  her  as  I  might  have  done  at  another 
time  ;  we  were  too  absorbed  by  the  tragic  situation  of  the 
King  and  Queen.  And  I  was  as  much  struck  as  I  was 
moved  by  the  fact  that  this  woman,  whom  they  had  both 
treated  so  harshly  on  their  accession  to  the  throne,  could  not 

1  The  Count  d'Espinchal,  in  his  Liste  des  principales  victimes  de 
la  Revolution,  gives  a  similar  explanation  of  Madame  Du  Barry's 
return  to  France. 


LOUIS    XVI 
From  the  painting  by  Calif  t 


EXECUTION   OF   LOUIS  XVI.  287 

cease  thinking  of  their  misfortunes,  and  wept  for  them 
tears  that  were  as  sincere  as  they  were  frequent.1 

Madame  Du  Barry  and  her  friends  rightly  feared  the 
worst ;  for  on  January  21,  1793,  Louis  XVI.  went  to  the 
scaffold.  Outside  France  the  terrible  scene  aroused  violent 
indignation.  The  news  came  to  London  in  the  evening,  and 
the  theatres  were  closed  at  once,  the  audiences  leaving  to 
the  strains  of  God  Save  the  King.  Madame  Du  Barry  did  not 
hide  her  grief ;  she  went  into  mourning  and  took  part  in 
all  the  services  held  in  the  chapels  of  the  Catholic  Embassy 
for  the  soul  of  the  "  martyr  "  King ;  affectionate  remem- 
brance and  pity  inspired  her  with  a  courage  that  made  her 
indifferent  whether  or  no  she  were  being  observed  by 
revolutionary  spies. 

The  day  after  the  death  of  Louis  XVI.  all  Europe  rose  up  in 
arms.  The  Convention  took  the  offensive,  and  on  February 
i  declared  war  on  England.  Pitt  formed  the  first  coalition 
against  France,  while  the  Royalist  insurrection  in  the  West 
spread  and  rapidly  covered  all  that  part  of  France,  the 
troops  of  the  Vendee  acting  in  the  name  of  Louis  XVII. 
as  "  the  great  Catholic  army."  Such  supporters  of  the 
monarchy  as  still  remained  in  France  became  leaders  of 
rebellion,  whether  openly  or  in  secret.  Madame  Du  Barry, 
whose  capital  was  invested  abroad,  was  in  a  position  to  do 
the  conspirators  invaluable  service.  In  January,  1793,  she 
made  the  Duke  de  Rohan-Chabot  a  loan  from  London  of  two 
hundred  thousand  livres,  paid  by  the  bankers  Vandenyver,2 
as  well  as  other  loans  unknown  to  the  Committee  of 
Public  Safety.  The  transfer  of  these  enormous  sums  at 
such  a  time  would  seem  to  point  to  the  Duke's  complicity  in 
the  rising  of  the  Western  provinces,  and  to  the  fact  that  the 
Countess  provided  him  with  the  needful  funds.3 

1  Souvenirs  du  Marquis  de  Bouille,  Vol.  II.,  p.  1 10. 

*  The  MSS.  in  the  Versailles  Library  include  numerous  documents 
connected  with  a  lawsuit  between  Madame  Du  Barry's  heirs  and 
those  of  Rohan-Chabot. 

*  The  explanations  given  by  Madame  Du  Barry  and  her  bankers 
to  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal,  prove  that  they  acted  in  concert. 
The  documents  seem  perfectly  in  order,  and  innocent  of  illegal  inten- 


288  A   KING'S    FAVOURITE 

The  last  of  the  many  lawsuits  that  had  their  origin  in 
the  diamond  affair  was  one  in  which  Madame  Du  Barry  was 
sued  by  the  Jew,  Simon.  He  claimed  that  he  had  assisted 
Forth  in  arresting  the  robbers  of  Louveciennes,  and 
demanded  the  promised  reward.  Forth  held  that  the  Jew's 
claims  were  too  high,  and  the  case  was  brought  before  a 
London  court.  Rouen,  her  ladyship's  jeweller,  was  once 
more  to  appear  as  witness,  but  Forth  did  not  trust  him,  and 
wrote  to  the  Countess  : 

Sunday,  February  3. 

Madame, 

Monsieur  Sleigh  has  convinced  me  still  further  that 
Rouen's  appearance  in  the  witness-box  can  only  injure  us, 
and  we  shall  therefore  not  call  him,  especially  as  Sleigh  has 
had  a  letter  from  Monsieur  Trochereau,  giving  good  reasons 
for  Rouen's  having  told  him  several  times  he  could  not  go  to 
London.  If  Rouen  comes,  make  some  excuse  for  not  seeing 
him  and  send  him  to  me  (at  the  same  time  being  careful  not 
to  offend  him)  ;  I  undertake  to  speak  to  him,  for  from  what 
Monsieur  Trochereau  tells  me,  he  is  capable  of  anything. 

At  all  times  and  on  all  occasions,  Madame,  I  beg  you  to 
count  on  the  zeal  and  devotion  of 

Your  faithful  servant, 

N.  Parker  Forth. 

Nevertheless,  Rouen  crossed  the  Channel,  but,  as  he 
"  followed  Forth' s  instructions  in  everything,"  Madame 
Du  Barry's  interests  were  safeguarded.1  She  used  the 
verdict  as  an  excuse  for  returning  to  France,  for  the  local 
authorities  of  Louveciennes  had  after  all,  on  February  16, 
affixed  their  seal  on  her  possessions.  Pitt  was  said  to  have 
tried  to  persuade  her  to  remain,  saying  that  she  was  going 
to  certain  death  ;  but  she  pleaded  the  necessity  for  fulfilling 
certain  obligations  of  honour,  and,  in  fear  and  trembling, 
went  to  meet  what  proved  to  be  her  fate.  As  the  passports 
she  possessed  for  herself  and  her  servants  had  limited  the 

tions  ;  but  the  dates  are  incriminating,  for  the  loans  coincide  with  the 
insurrection. 

1  Forth's  diary  mentions  the  verdict  on  February  28,  and  Madame 
Du  Barry's  departure  on  March  5. 


A   BOLD    PROTEST  289 

length  of  her  stay  in  London  to  six  weeks,  she  was  com- 
pelled to  stop  in  Calais,  in  order  to  set  matters  right.  There 
she  saw  the  Duchess  de  Mortemart,  who  had  for  some  time 
been  there  in  hiding  under  the  name  of  Mortimer.1  Having 
taken  the  necessary  steps  for  obtaining  new  passports  from 
the  executive  authority,2  the  Countess  received  them  on 
March  17,  and  left  on  the  following  day.  Her  end  was 
drawing  near. 

The  first  thing  she  did  on  getting  home  was  to  write  to  the 
governors  of  the  district,  and,  putting  a  bold  face  on  the 
matter,  she  expostulated  with  them  for  the  severe  measures 
they  had  taken  during  her  absence  : 

Louveciennes,  March  27,  1793. 
Citizen  Governors, 

Citizeness  de  Vaubernier  Du  Barry  is  most  surprised 
that,  after  all  the  proofs  she  gave  you  of  the  reasons  compel- 
ling her  to  leave  for  England,  you  have  yet  treated  her  as  an 
tmigrie.  Before  her  departure  she  informed  you  of  the 
declaration  she  had  made  before  her  local  authorities,  and 
you  placed  it  on  your  register.  .  .  .  All  France  knows 
of  the  robbery  at  her  house,  which  took  place  on  the  night 
of  January  10,  1791.  .  .  The  final  verdict  was  not 
pronounced  until  February  28  last,  as  the  enclosed  certificate 
will  testify. 

The  Countess  once  more  took  possession  of  her  property, 
to  the  great  annoyance  of  the  patriotic  members  of  the 
parish,  of  whom  indeed  there  were  but  few,  and  whose 
failing  ardour  had  to  be  quickened  by  the  Englishman 
Greive,  who  had  recently  taken  lodgings  in  an  inn.  The 
strange  career  of  this  enigmatical  person  is  interesting.  As 
a  "  citizen  of  the  United  States  "  he  boasted  of  his  supposed 

1  "  Madame  de  Mortemart  lived  with  her  at  Calais  on  her  return  from 
London."  (A  note  made  by  the  juryman  Topino-Lebrun,  Vatel. 
Vol.  III.,  p.  280.)  Madame  de  Mortemart's  stay  at  Calais  was  con- 
firmed by  Madame  Du  Barry  herself  during  her  examination  at  Sainte 
Pelagic. 

1  A  letter  written  from  "  Calais,  Thursday  at  noon,"  which  has 
been  published  by  Vatel,  Vol.  II.,  p.  429,  seems  to  refer  to  this 
incident.  A  pass  made  out  by  the  local  authorities  of  Calais  contains 
a  complete  description  of  Madame  Du  Barry,  who  gave  her  age  as 
"  forty  years." 
u 


290  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

services  to  Washington  and  Franklin.  Whatever  these  may 
have  been  he  was  a  fanatical  revolutionary,  intoxicated  with 
his  own  importance,  and,  like  his  friend  Marat,  a  man  of 
letters.  Louveciennes  became  the  centre  of  his  operations  ; 
for  in  that  flower  of  luxury  and  refinement,  the  ex-favourite, 
he  saw  the  representative  of  the  elegant  depravity  of  a 
detested  government,  and  in  her  chateau,  a  nest  of  aristo- 
crats, a  Royalist  rendezvous,  and  a  refuge  of  emigrants. 

Madame  Du  Barry  suspected  little  at  first.  She  found 
her  Louveciennes  very  lonely  without  her  former  friend. 
Mademoiselle  Chon,  too,  was  away,  having  withdrawn  to 
Toulouse,  and  no  one  could  take  her  place,  neither  the 
young  Marquise  de  Boisseson,  nor  Mesdames  Graillet  and  de 
La  Neuville,  her  relatives  who  came  to  live  with  her.  Her 
devoted  servant,  Morin,  had  cared  for  the  house  during  her 
absence,  and  nothing  had  changed  in  the  beautiful  dwelling 
but  the  soul  of  its  mistress.  All  her  desire  was  to  return  to 
London  and  she  used  every  possible  means  of  obtaining  a  new 
passport.  Everywhere  she  produced  her  certificate,  testify- 
ing to  the  continuation  of  her  trial,  signed  by  Queensberry 
and  Whitshed  Keene,  "  two  of  the  basest  of  George  III.'s 
flunkeys,  and  the  most  rabid  enemies  of  the  Revolution," 
according  to  Greive.  But  her  influence  was  at  an  end. 

In  order  to  distract  her  mind  she  kept  open  house  and 
entertained  all  the  neighbouring  nobility  that  was  left. 
"  There  is  a  chain  of  aristocrats  of  both  sexes,"  wrote 
Greive,  "  along  the  Seine,  extending  from  Mantes  to  Rueil." 
Madame  Du  Barry  brought  together  as  her  guests  very 
different  kinds  of  people ;  there  were  an  abbess,  Madame 
de  La  Porte,  the  Abbe  de  Fontenilles,  nephew  to  the  Abbess 
of  Pont-aux-Dames,  the  pretty  Princess  Lubomirska,  the 
Chevalier  d'Escourre,  her  cousin  Juilhac,  the  Abbe  Beliardi, 
Colonel  Morgan,1  the  Marquis  de  Donnissan,2  the  Prince 

1  "  The  infamous  traitor  Morgan,"  whom  Marat  had  so  often 
denounced,  and  whose  activities,  according  to  Greive,  were  so 
dangerous. 

1  The  father  of  the  Marquise  de  Lescure,  whose  husband  led  the 
revolt  of  the  Vendee,  and  who  became  later  Marquise  de  la  Roche- 
jacquelin. 


NEW   FRIENDS  291 

Charles  de  Rohan,  and  finally  the  Duke  de  Rohan-Chabot l 
The  Princess  de  Rohan-Rochefort  had  become  the  intimate 
friend  and  confidant  of  the  Countess.  They  were  neigh- 
bours, and  used  to  lend  each  other  their  friends,  whose 
numbers  the  emigration  had  so  sadly  diminished.  The 
Princess  wrote  to  Madame  Du  Barry  : 

Versailles,  May  13,  1793. 

I  am  sending  for  news  of  my  charming  neighbour,  and  to 
beg  her  to  let  me  know  if  she  will  be  at  home  in  the  afternoon. 
If  so  I  inform  her  beforehand  that  I  shall  come,  and  bring 
with  me  my  budding  coadjutor,2  who  has  lost  some  of  his 
illusions,  at  least,  they  have  been  lost  for  him  by  the  nation, 
which  unriches  us,  as  Clementine  says,  using  a  word  that  is 
quite  new  to  our  language,  but  that  might  very  well  be 
included  in  the  dictionary  for  its  expressiveness,  even  though 
the  Academy  should  reject  it.  Truth,  they  say,  comes  from 
the  mouth  of  children.  The  boy  I  bring  is  gentle  and  good, 
tender  and  loving ;  he  has  nothing  to  reform,  but  much 
to  learn,  among  other  things,  the  happiness  of  pleasing  you. 
If  the  desire  to  do  so  constitutes  any  claim  to  success,  I  will 
go  bail  that  he  may  expect  it.  He  is  as  quiet  and  restrained 
as  his  elder  brother  is  wild.  I  dare  not  speak  of  Cain  and 
Abel,  but  the  resemblance  is  very  close.  But  I  drop  the 
subject,  for  it  is  one  that  pains  me  greatly,  I  assure  you. 
So  does  the  absence  of  the  other  two,  of  whom  one  is, 
both  morally  and  physically,  a  most  delightful  girl.  Little 
Henri  will  be  the  image  of  Jules,  as  all  reports  give  me  to 
hope,  and  that  is  all  I  wish  for.  But  thanks  to  his  father's 
stupid  obstinacy,  the  unfortunate  child  will  be  thought  an 
emigre,  and  will  run  great  risks,  which  I  could  have  avoided 

1  Louis  Antoine  Auguste  de  Rohan-Chabot,  Count  and  later  Duke 
de  Chabot,  after  the  death  of  his  cousin,  the  Duke  de  Rohan,  in 
November,  1791,  had  settled  in  Brussels  with  his  daughter-in-law, 
then  Princess  de  Leon,  in  1790  ;  in  1792  he  had  returned  to  France. 
He  had  been  a  widower  since  1786,  and  died  in  1807  at  the  age  of 
seventy-five.  (Notice  hisiorique  et  gen&alogique  sur  la  maison  de 
Chabot,  Paris,  1834.) 

*  During  her  trial,  Madame  Du  Barry  was  questioned  at  some 
length  on  the  subject  of  this  letter.  She  replied  that  the  Princess 
de  Rohan's  "budding  coadjutor"  was  "her  son  Jules,  who  was 
then,  or  intended  to  become,  a  coadjutor  in  Strasburg. — Did  you  see 
him  ? — Yes." 


292  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

for  him.  I  have  done  my  very  best  with  the  father,  but  he 
and  the  uncle  have  made  my  efforts  useless,  which  fills  me 
with  despair,  for  I  fear  and  dread  further  evils.  Misfor- 
tunes surround  us  on  all  hands,  and  have  become  our  only 
food.  I  can  only  wish  with  all  my  heart  for  their  end.  You 
may  find  it  hard  to  believe  that  I  can  still  hope  for  happiness, 
who  have  reached  the  end  of  my  autumn  and  am  approaching 
that  sad  winter  of  life  they  call  old  age.  But  nothing  could 
be  more  true.  I  only  speak  of  all  my  misfortunes  to  you, 
because  you  know  their  bitterness  better  than  others.  I 
dare  to  hope  that  your  tender  interest  will  share  my 
misery  and  thereby  soften  my  grief. 

I  ask  permission  to  send  you  my  doctor  by-and-by,  on 
rising  from  table.  He  is  very  eager  to  see  your  charming 
villa  ;  so  is  Monsieur  de  la  Tour,  who  is  Secretary  to  the 
Swedish  Embassy  here  under  the  Baron  de  Staal  (sic). 
He  used  to  be  reader  and  librarian  to  the  late  King,  who 
valued  and  loved  him  very  much.  At  last  I  leave  you,  for 
a  walk  in  my  future  garden,  where  I  hope  one  day  to  be 
able  to  ask  you  to  tea.  Unless,  alas  !  this  hateful  stay  at 
Versailles  has  driven  you  away  for  ever.  Until  this  after- 
noon, fair  lady  ;  I  shall  greet  you,  as  ever,  with  delight. 

R.  R.  R. 
[Rohan-Rohan-Rochef  ort .] 

I  am  expecting  Monsieur  de  la  Bondy  (sic)  to  dinner. 
Would  it  be  indiscreet  to  ask  if  you  would  send  us  your 
carriage  ?  It  suited  me  so  well  the  other  day,  that  I  dread 
all  the  more  the  terrible  jolting  of  our  public  vehicles,  which 
are  fatal  to  one  who  often  suffers  from  attacks  of  haemor- 
rhoids. 

I  have  given  Monsieur  de  la  Vallerie  (sic)  the  little  note 
for  the  butler  in  whom  you  are  interested.  I  hope  they  will 
at  once  satisfy  his  claims.  La  Vallerie  assured  me  that 
yours  would  be  attended  to  this  week,  and  as  it  is  under  his 
jurisdiction  I  quite  believe  it.1 

1  The  latter  bears  the  following  comment  by  Greive  :  "  From  the 
aristocrat,  formerly  Princess  de  Rohan-Rochefort,  a  woman  whose 
sinfulness  was  greater  than  her  folly,  and  who  enjoyed  a  certain 
favour  with  several  governors  of  Versailles."  The  Princess  is  men- 
tioned by  Madame  Vigee  le  Brun  in  the  beginning  of  her  Souvenirs  ; 
she  was  about  the  same  age  as  Madame  Du  Barry. 


MADAME  DU  BARRY  DENOUNCED    293 

The  Princess,  who  had  already  been  imprisoned  as  a 
suspicious  character,  and  was  to  be  so  once  more,  certainly 
had  good  reason  to  think  the  times  full  of  horror.1  The 
recent  reverses  suffered  by  the  Republican  armies  meant 
increased  danger  for  the  nobles  who  had  remained  in  France. 
Even  the  village  of  Louveciennes  felt  the  disturbing  after- 
effects of  these  events.  Greive  was  the  leader  of  its  inhabit- 
ants, and  was  supported  by  Blache,  the  spy  who  had 
watched  Madame  Du  Barry's  movements  in  London.  Her 
cook  Salanave  had  induced  Zamore  to  join  this  Republican 
club  with  him.  Thenceforth  she  won  no  pity  from  her 
enemies,  and  the  days  of  anarchy,  that  followed  the  fall  of 
the  Girondins,  only  facilitated  the  task  that  hatred  had  set 
itself  to  perform. 

Greive  took  advantage  of  the  repressive  laws  to  present, 
on  June  26,  1793,  an  address  signed  by  thirty-six  of  the 
villagers,  "  which  had  for  object  to  draw  the  paternal  atten- 
tion of  the  administration  to  the  dangers  to  which  the 
country  was  exposed,  and  to  the  measures  that  ought  to  be 
taken."  Blache  also  wrote  that  "  this  woman's  house  was 
the  refuge  and  rendezvous  of  all  the  villains  who  conspired 
against  our  unhappy  country."  He  gave  a  list  of  the  aristo- 
crats of  Louveciennes,  which  included  the  names  of  Madame 
Du  Barry  and  three  of  her  servants,  and  the  very  same 
evening  they  were  all  arrested.  The  servants  were  removed 
to  the  prison  at  Versailles,  but  she  and  her  relatives  stayed 
in  the  chateau  under  the  guard  of  a  gendarme,  whom  she  had 
to  pay.  At  first  her  detention  in  her  home  did  not  seem  to 
alarm  her  friends,  and  the  Princess  Lubomirska  proposed 
coming  to  join  her  in  her  imprisonment. 

Chaillot,  July  6. 

I  have  only  just  heard,  Madame,  of  your  return  to 
Luciennes,  and  of  the  unjust  persecution  to  which  you  have 
been  subjected.  The  former  would  make  me  fly  to  you  on 

1  On  the  trials  undergone  by  the  Princess  de  Rohan-Rochefort 
and  her  family  during  the  Revolution,  see  Jacques  de  la  Faye's 
book,  La  Princesse  Charlotte  de  Rohan  et  le  Due  d'Enghien,  Paris. 
1906. 


294  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

the  wings  of  friendship,  while  the  latter,  Madame,  gives  me 
a  right  to  ask  as  a  favour  if  I  can  be  of  some  use  to  you.  If 
my  zeal  is  unsuccessful  in  obtaining  this  satisfaction,  at 
least  allow  me  to  share  your  solitude  and  prove  to  you  that 
those,  whom  you  have  been  kind  enough  to  distinguish,  do 
not  easily  forget  it.  Farewell,  Madame  ;  I  expect,  with  an 
impatience  that  is  worthy  of  the  interest  you  inspire,  the 
reply  that  you  will  grant  my  desire  to  come  to  you  at  once. 

Alex.,  Princess  Lubomirska. 

The  charming  Polishwoman,  who  professed  "  a  cult  " 
for  Madame  Du  Barry,  had  no  idea  of  the  danger  she  ran  by 
writing  such  a  letter  of  friendship.1 

But  Greive  saw  that  the  local  authorities  were  not  hostile 
to  Madame  Du  Barry,  and  that  he  would  have  to  attack 
her  before  a  higher  court.  On  July  3  he  was  permitted  to 
read  before  the  Convention  an  address  in  the  name  of  the 
sans-culottes  of  Louveciennes  : 

True  to  the  dear  principles  of  Equality,  in  which  lies  the 
happiness  of  life  ...  we  have  commenced  operations 
by  the  arrest  of  a  woman  who  has  figured  but  too  largely  in 
the  annals  of  our  monarchical  history.  In  spite  of  her 
notoriously  unpatriotic  connections  .  .  .  she  has,  until 
to-day,  by  the  use  of  her  wealth  and  of  caresses,  whose 
value  she  learnt  at  the  court  of  a  weak  and  crapulous  tyrant, 
been  able  to  abate  the  vigilance  of  certain  good  men,  who 
are  not  accustomed  to  this  type  of  intrigue,  and  to  evade  the 

1  In  a  second  note  she  gave  Madame  Du  Barry  news  of  the  Queen 
at  the  beginning  of  her  trial :  "  The  Queen  is  still  at  the  Conciergerie, 
and  it  is  not  true  that  she  was  going  to  be  taken  back  to  the  Temple. 
However,  I  am  not  disturbed  as  to  her  fate  ;  our  rulers  are  tired 
of  glory,  and,  I  suppose,  want  to  rest  on  their  laurels."  The  ironical 
phrase,  and  the  friendly  letters  to  Madame  Du  Barry,  were  enough 
to  lead  to  the  arrest  of  the  unfortunate  stranger,  and  bring  her  later 
to  the  scaffold. 

It  would  be  unjust  to  accuse  Madame  Du  Barry  of  making  impru- 
dent revelations  about  the  Princess  Lubomirska,  as  Monsieur  Casimir 
Stryienski  has  done  in  his  interesting  memoir  on  the  Princess  (Deux 
victimes  de  la  Terreur,  Paris,  1899).  The  signature  of  one  of  the  two 
letters  taken  must  have  been  enough  to  identify  the  writer,  and 
Madame  Du  Barry  could  not  lie  in  the  face  of  such  evidence,  nor 
could  she  have  imagined  that  correspondence,  which  she  knew  to  be 
innocent,  would  injure  her  friend. 


IMMINENT   DANGER  295 

spirit  of  the  Declaration  of  the  Rights  of  Man,  which  says 
"  that  the  law  shall  be  the  same  for  all,  whether  it  punishes 
or  protects."  In  her  chateau  (for  such  there  still  are)  did 
Brissac  begin  and  carry  on  his  liberticidal  scheming  in  favour 
of  the  tyrant  and  against  Paris.  There,  too,  aristocratic 
conventicles  were  held  at  different  periods  of  the  Revolu- 
tion ;  thence  departed  those  daily  couriers  to  Brissac  during 
his  detention  at  Orleans.  .  .  .  With  this  dangerous 
instrument,  however  small  the  importance  of  such  a 
creature  may  seem,  with  her  did  all  aristocrats,  great  and 
small,  of  all  kinds  and  all  shades  of  opinion,  feel  sure  of 
obtaining  a  favourable  reception,  a  protection  and  certain 
favour,  that  prove  her  liberticidal  sentiments  and  wishes. 
.  .  .  It  was  she  who  was  on  the  closest  and  most  constant 
terms  of  intimacy  with  Forth,  the  famous  English  spy. 
.  .  .  It  was  she  who,  intoxicated  with  her  title  of 
Countess,  complacently  received  homage  as  such,  and,  in 
defiance  of  the  decrees,  gave  those  of  Prince,  Count,  Baron, 
Marquis  and  the  rest  to  those  who  frequented  her  chateau. 
Finally,  it  was  she  who,  displaying  a  luxury  worthy  of  a 
monarch's  former  mistress  and  surrounded  by  a  numerous 
household  composed  almost  wholly  of  insolent  calumniators 
of  the  Revolution,  ....  insulted  by  this  luxury  the 
sufferings  of  the  unfortunate  beings  whose  husbands, 
fathers,  brothers,  and  children  had  shed  their  blood  in  our 
armies  for  the  sake  of  Equality.  .  .  -1 

At  the  end  of  the  address,  Thuriot,  the  President  of  the 
Convention,  replied :  "  The  deeds  you  have  been  denouncing 
are  grave  ;  rest  assured  that  if  they  are  proved  against  her, 
her  head  will  fall  on  the  scaffold." 

Danger  seemed  imminent,  and  the  faithful  friends  of  the 
Countess  became  anxious.  The  Rohans,  La  Bondie,  Juilhac 
and  Escourre  redoubled  their  applications  to  the  Directory 
and  to  the  authorities  of  the  district  of  Seine-et-Oise ; 
Madame  Du  Barry  used  every  means  of  protest 2 ;  an  "  oblig- 

1  The  text  of  the  address  was  given  by  Greive  himself  in  the 
pamphlet  he  had  printed  on  July  31,  entitled  :  Sham  Equality,  or 
a  short  History  of  the  Protection  of  the  Du  Barry,  Louis  XV.'s  Former 
Mistress,  containing  Documents  connected  with  her  Arrest.  .  .  . 

1  She  even  had  herself  taken  to  Versailles,  escorted  by  the  Council 
of  Louveciennes  and  several  inhabitants,  in  order  to  lodge  her  protest. 


296  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

ing  advocate  "  entered  a  clever  protest  in  her  name  against 
the  "  defamatory  libel "  read  before  the  Convention 1 ; 
a  petition  was  sent  on  July  7  to  the  Committee  of  Public 
Safety,  signed  by  some  sixty  inhabitants  of  Louveciennes, 
who  bore  witness  that  citizeness  Du  Barry  was  the  bene- 
factress of  the  parish.  A  counter-enquiry  on  the  subject  of 
her  patriotism  was  conducted  with  marked  good  will,  and  at 
last,  on  August  13,  a  resolution  was  passed  restoring  to 
liberty  the  accused  and  her  servants.2 

Perhaps  the  liberation  of  the  Countess  was  due  to  Greive's 
influence  being  less  than  that  of  La  Vallery,  a  member  of  the 
Directory,  who  had  already  done  her  service  and  who  took 
up  her  defence  with  remarkable  ardour.  "  Rest  assured," 
he  wrote  to  her,  "  that  if  there  are  any  occasions  when  I  hold 
my  work  to  be  of  worth,  you  have  the  right  to  call  upon  me. 
Your  sex  entitles  you  to  seek  peace  and  seclusion,  your 
charm  ...  A  thousand  pardons,  citizeness  ;  a  republi- 
can and  a  stranger  should  only  speak  in  terms  of  business. 
Pray  accept  the  assurance  of  my  respect,  and  of  all  the 
interest  you  have  the  right  to  inspire." 

"  Citizeness  Du  Barry's "  fascination  seems  thus  to 
have  been  still  all-powerful.  Greive  himself  was  said  to 
have  fallen  under  the  spell  of  her  attraction,  his  growing 
hatred  being  only  the  result  of  unhappy  love.  To  be  sure, 
his  conduct  is  quite  adequately  explained  by  a  solely  political 
passion  aggravated  to  fury,  but  she  whom  he  called  "  the 
rose-and-ivy-crowned  Bacchante,"  was  soon  to  accuse  him 
of  worse  audacities  ;  "he  began  by  taking  possession  of  the 
petitioner's  person,"  she  wrote  ;  "  words  cannot  describe  the 
horrible  outrages  of  which  he  was  guilty." 

If  this  is  true,  how  indignantly  she  must  have  repulsed 

1  This  lawyer  Delainville,  did  not  hesitate  to  write  :   "  Citizeness 
Dubarry  has  always  manifested  unequivocal  patriotism  since  the 
beginning  of  the  Revolution.     .     .     .     She  has  broken  off  all  her 
former  connections,  and  has  always  lived  alone  in  her  house  at  Louve- 
ciennes."    But  such  an  audacious  line  of  defence  could  not  be  main- 
tained for  long. 

2  All  the  documents  of  the  case  are  to  be  found  in  Vatel,  Vol.  III., 
pp.  436-448- 


HER   LAST   AMOUR  297 

the  sinister  wretch,  how  gratefully  accepted  the  loyal 
protection  of  another  !  Terrified  at  the  ferocity  with  which 
she  was  attacked,  threatened  with  loss  of  liberty  and  even  of 
life,  and  still  trembling  from  the  remembrance  of  Brissac's 
agony,  she  surrendered  herself  to  the  love  of  the  proud  and 
tender  Rohan-Chabot.  Her  last  amour  would  have  re- 
mained a  secret,  but  for  a  letter  lost  from  Madame  Du  Barry's 
papers.  It  was  unsigned,  but  Greive  had  examined  it,  and, 
with  the  intuition  of  hatred,  or  of  love,  had  known  what 
name  should  have  been  placed  at  the  end  of  the  lines.1 
The  brown  seal  bore  a  flaming  heart  and  the  inscription : 
Yours  for  ever.  The  letter  was  probably  sent  together  with 
a  portrait  of  Brissac  ;  the  Duke  wrote  to  the  Countess  as 
follows  : 

September  7,  1793. 

I  send  you,  my  dear,  sweet  friend,  the  picture  you  wished 
for ;  a  sad  and  gloomy  present,  but  one  that  I  feel  with 
you  was  what  you  should  desire.  In  a  position  like  ours, 
with  so  much  cause  for  pain  and  unhappiness,  we  seek  food 
for  our  melancholy,  as  above  all  beseems  us. 

I  sent  for  the  three  portraits  of  you,  which  he  owned 
[Brissac],  they  are  here  now,  and  I  have  kept  one  of  the 
small  ones,  the  original  of  the  one  in  which  you  wear  a 
white  shift  or  dressing  gown,  and  a  plumed  hat.2  The 
second  is  a  copy  of  the  one  of  which  the  head  is  finished,  but 
the  dress  only  sketched  in.  Neither  of  them  is  framed.  The 
large  one  by  Madame  le  Bran  is  delightful,  a  fascinating  and 
speaking  likeness,  of  infinite  charm ;  but,  indeed,  I  should 
have  thought  it  indiscreet  to  choose  it,  and  the  one  I  have 
kept  is  so  charming,  so  like  and  so  winning,  that  I  am  well 
satisfied  with  it,  and  transported  with  joy  at  possessing  it. 

The  one  begun  by  Letellier  is  only  outlined,  and  the  head 
is  no  more  than  a  sketch  that  may  become  a  good  likeness. 
I  have  had  it  taken  back  to  the  painter.3 

1  "  This  letter  is  undoubtedly  from  Rohan-Chabot."  The  Gon- 
courts  have  attributed  it  to  the  "  Prince  de  Rohan-Rochefort "  (sic). 

1  It  is  still  in  the  possession  of  the  Rohan  family.  Another  one 
by  Madame  le  Brun  belonged  to  Hubert  Robert,  and  was  included  in 
the  catalogue  of  his  sale. 

3  Letellier's  work  is  unknown  to  us ;  a  painter  named  Tellier 
exhibited  in  the  Salon  of  1793. 


298  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

With  regard  to  the  large  portrait  and  the  copy  of  the 
one  I  keep,  tell  me,  dear  friend,  if  you  want  me  to  send  them 
to  you,  or  if  I  should  have  them  sent  back  where  they  were, 
or  what  you  intend  to  do  with  them.  I  have  no  other  wish 
than  to  have  one  which  I  can  carry  on  me,  and  which  should 
never  leave  me. 

Do  come,  dear  love,  and  spend  two  days  here  ;  come  and 
dine  with  me,  and  with  any  one  else  you  may  like.  Give 
me  a  few  moments  of  happiness,  which  I  only  enjoy  when 
with  you.  Answer  all  my  questions  ;  and  come  for  at 
least  a  moment  to  see  him  who  loves  you  beyond  and  above 
all,  to  the  very  end  of  his  life.  A  thousand  times  I  kiss 
the  most  charming  woman  in  the  world,  whose  noble,  tender 
heart  is  worthy  of  eternal  devotion. 

This  love  letter  from  the  time  of  the  Terror  is  all  the  more 
moving,  because  the  position  of  the  two  lovers  was  hourly 
becoming  more  perilous.  On  September  17  the  "  suspect  " 
law  was  issued  against "  those  who,  whether  by  their  conduct, 
or  their  connections,  or  their  words  and  writings,  have  shown 
themselves  to  be  partisans  of  tyranny  or  of  federalism,  and 
enemies  of  liberty."  The  duty  of  applying  this  indeter- 
minate definition  was  entrusted  to  the  members  of  the 
Revolutionary  Committees  ;  in  all  the  municipalities  they 
drew  up  lists  of  "  suspects  "  whom  they  proceeded  to  arrest. 
The  Committee  of  Public  Safety  was  reorganised,  and  their 
inquisitorial  powers  were  thenceforth  unlimited.  Greive 
began  his  final  attacks  on  his  victim. 

Ever  since  the  Countess  had  regained  her  liberty,  he  had 
secretly  been  working  to  stir  up  the  village  against  her,  and 
in  order  to  justify  his  ferocious  persecution  he  printed  a 
pamphlet  appealing  to  the  basest  passions  of  the  mob  : 

In  kindly  consideration  of  the  tender  consciences  of  those 
who  adore  great  names  the  sans-culottes  of  Louveciennes 
declare  that  the  only  object  of  the  step  they  took  [at  the 
Convention]  was  to  promote  the  safety  of  their  country.  .  . 
Far  from  abusing  or  bearing  ill-will  to  the  former  dispenser 
of  Court  favour,  they  have  looked  on  her  in  the  same  light 
as  her  waiting  woman,  except  for  the  difference  of  her 
fifty  thousand  ecus  income ;  they  have  exhibited  the 


MADAME  DU  BARRY  ARRESTED     299 

same  Republican  firmness  in  enforcing  the  law  against 
Gouy,  her  porter,  Pretry,  her  adviser,  Morin,  the  political 
intermediary  between  her  and  constituted  authority  .  .  . 

That  authority  being  corrupted  and  favourable  to  her,  he 
denounced  them  with  anger,  and  ended  up  with  the  furious 
cry  :  "  Death  to  the  courtesan  of  Louveciennes,  to  the  rose- 
and-ivy-crowned  Bacchante  !  " 

The  country  folk  abused  her  when  she  passed,  women 
insulted  her  at  her  very  doors  ;  and  in  terror  she  addressed 
a  petition  to  the  governors  of  the  department,  who  were 
not  unfavourably  disposed  towards  her.  "  The  malevolence 
of  my  accusers  has  reached  such  a  point  that  I  fear  every 
thing  from  them.  ...  I  am  therefore  compelled  to 
entreat  you  to  act  with  promptitude,  and  I  venture  to  add, 
citizens,  that  you  owe  it  to  humanity."  But  her  complaints 
were  too  late ;  Greive  and  Blache  had  won  the  hearing  of 
the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  by  a  second  denunciation, 
and  her  arrest  was  decided  at  the  sitting  of  September  21 : 

The  Committee  decrees  that  the  woman  called  Du  Barry, 
resident  at  Louveciennes,  shall  be  arrested  and  conveyed 
to  Sainte  Pelagie  in  Paris,  where  she  is  to  be  detained  in 
the  interests  of  the  public  safety,  as  suspected  of  unpatriotic 
and  aristocratic  sentiments.  Her  possessions  are  to  be 
confiscated,  her  papers  examined ;  any  that  are  of  a 
suspicious  character  are  to  be  brought  to  the  Committee 
of  Public  Safety.  The  execution  of  the  arrest  is  committed 
to  the  charge  of  Citizen  Greive,  who  is  authorised  to  call 
on  any  civil  or  legal  official  he  may  happen  to  need 
in  carrying  out  his  duty,  as  well  as  on  military  force,  if 
required.  Further,  citizen  Greive  is  to  arrest  and  have 
conveyed  to  Paris,  where  they  are  to  be  confined  in  the 
prison  of  La  Force  in  the  interests  of  public  safety,  all  those 
who  are  at  Luciennes  with  the  said  Du  Barry,  on  the  occasion 
of  the  execution  of  the  aforesaid  arrest. 

Boucher-Saint-Sauveur, 

Amar, 

Vadier, 

Panis. 


300  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

The  Committee  placed  three  thousand  livres  at  Greive's 
disposal,  to  defray  the  necessary  expenses  of  carrying  out 
their  commands.  On  September  22  he  appeared  suddenly 
at  Louveciennes,  accompanied  by  the  Mayor,  other  municipal 
officials  and  two  gendarmes,  who  came  to  affix  their  seal 
to  the  property  of  Louveciennes.  The  poor  woman  at  once 
rushed  to  her  room  to  try  to  destroy  the  papers  in  her 
possession.  Greive,  being  suspicious,  followed  her,  and 
seized  the  correspondence  and  printed  matter  lying  on  the 
table.  A  struggle  ensued,  in  which  she  snatched  the  letters 
from  him,  seeking  above  all  to  obtain  the  signatures.  But 
he  soon  overpowered  her  weak  resistance  and  dragged  her 
away.  She  was  forced  into  the  public  conveyance,  and 
taken  towards  Paris. 

At  the  foot  of  the  "  Bougival  hill  "  the  little  procession 
met  Escourre  in  a  chaise.  Greive  ordered  him  to  get  down 
and  take  his  place  beside  the  prisoner.  Everything  points 
to  his  having  then  offered  to  save  her  life  on  certain  con- 
ditions ;  but  rather  than  strike  such  a  bargain,  she  chose 
to  have  her  name  entered  in  the  register  of  prisoners  at 
Sainte-Pelagie  that  very  evening. 

"  The  part  of  the  building  provided  for  the  women," 
wrote  Madame  Roland,  "  is  divided  by  very  long  and  narrow 
corridors,  along  one  side  of  which  are  small  cells.  .  .  . 
Each  little  cell  is  closed  by  means  of  a  large  bolt  and  lock, 
which  a  man  comes  and  opens  every  morning ;  after  that 
the  inhabitants  gather  in  the  corridors,  on  the  staircases, 
in  a  little  court  or  in  a  damp  and  noisome  hall  .  .  ."  1 
Besides  Madame  Roland,  the  Countess  met  among  the 
prisoners  Mesdames  de  Gouy  and  de  Crequy-Montmorency, 
Mademoiselle  de  Moncrif,  the  wives  of  Brissot  and  Petion, 
and  the  nine  actresses  of  the  Comedie  Francaise,  who  had 
been  there  since  September  3  ;  among  the  latter  was  Made- 
moiselle Raucourt,  whose  brilliant  debut  at  Versailles  as 

1  M&moires,  Paris,  1864,  p.  288.  Madame  Roland  speaks  of  the 
horror  with  which  the  unhappy  "  suspects  "  were  filled  at  coming 
into  contact  with  fallen  women  and  the  "  scum  of  the  earth,"  and 
at  the  obscene  language  they  heard. 


STILL   HOPEFUL  301 

Queen  Dido  she  had  witnessed.  Madame  Roland,  who 
despised  her  without  knowing  her,  did  not  deign  to  notice 
Madame  Du  Barry  among  her  fellow  captives.  The  day 
after  her  imprisonment  the  newcomer  dictated  a  letter, 
which  showed  that  she  was  still  calm  and  courageous,  to 
Henriette  Couture,  one  of  her  women,  who  was  free  : 

To  citizeness  Henriette,  at  Luciennes. 

I  send  Henriette  news  of  myself ;  I  am  well,  and  find 
everything  I  need  here,  as  well  as  an  agreeable  woman  with 
whom  to  sleep.  Let  me  know  of  those  who  are  left,  if  they 
have  confiscated  my  things,  and  if  the  villagers  have 
petitioned  for  my  freedom.  Send  me  a  lawn  cap,  and  also  my 
shifts  with  the  little  coloured  stripes,  and  the  white  ones ; 
send  me  shifts,  handkerchiefs,  and  fichus,  and  all  that  can 
be  sent.  Tell  the  housekeeper  to  send  me  a  dozen  table- 
napkins,  also  towels  and  sheets. 

Henriette  is  to  go  and  see  the  justice  of  the  peace  at 
Marly  to  ask  him  to  make  out  my  certificate  of  residence. 
It  must  be  sent  to  me  to  be  signed,  and  I  shall  then  send  it 
back  to  be  signed  in  the  presence  of  nine  witnesses.  If  there 
is  no  time  to  get  ready  a  white  cap,  send  me  a  coloured  one  ; 
send  also  news  of  what  happens  in  the  house,  and  if  it  is 
well  watched. 

Speak  to  the  villagers  who  are  interested  in  me,  and  tell 
them  that  I  am  well. 

Madame  Roussel  and  her  companions  in  misfortune  are 
still  at  La  Force.  I  have  not  yet  seen  any  one  to  defend  us.1 

Madame  Du  Barry  was  thus  still  hopeful  of  regaining  her 
liberty  ;  she  would  not  have  been  so  calm  if  she  had  known 
that  the  Vandenyvers,  father  and  sons,  had  likewise  been 
arrested,  and  their  papers  seized.  Another  supporter  was 

1  This  note  was  published  in  the  Annales  rfvolutionnaires,  1908. 
Only  the  last  four  lines  are  in  Madame  Du  Barry's  own  hand,  as 
was  remarked  by  Greive,  who  wrote  on  the  document :  "  This  letter 
is  from  the  Du  Barry  written  the  day  after  her  imprisonment.  The 
loth,  nth,  1 2th  and  isth  lines  are  in  her  writing.  It  shows  that 
the  woman  Couture  was  the  Du  Barry's  confidant,  and  we  now  have 
every  reason  to  believe  that  the  weakness  of  which  this  cunning 
woman  complained,  was  only  a  sham  to  move  the  feelings  of  the 
agent,  so  that  she  could  be  allowed  to  remain  at  Louveciennes  as 
correspondent  and  spy." 


302  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

also  lost  to  her  in  La  Vallery,  the  obliging  governor  of 
Seine-et-Oise,  who  had  committed  suicide.  Denounced 
by  Greive  as  the  henchman  of  the  former  Countess,  accused 
by  the  Convention  on  some  matter  connected  with  taxation 
and  certain  what  fate  awaited  him,  he  threw  himself  into 
the  Seine  near  the  bridge  of  La  Rapee.1 

The  prisoner  knew  nothing  of  these  happenings,  and 
trusting  in  the  devotion  of  her  Versailles  friends,  she  sent 
the  following  protest  to  the  authorities  of  the  department. 
It  is  much  more  of  an  accusation  than  of  a  defence,  and  the 
brave  words  she  wrote  from  prison  reveal  more  strikingly 
than^all  else  her  energy  and  resourcefulness. 

Citizeness  Du  Barry  to  the  citizen-governors  of  the 

department. 
Saint-Pelagie,  October  2,  1793.     Year  II.  of  the 

French  Republic. 
Citizens, 

You  will  remember  that  by  the  decree  which  was 
communicated  to  you,  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  has 
placed  my  person  and  possessions  under  the  protection  of  the 
department  and  of  the  local  authorities  of  Louveciennes. 
The  integrity  of  the  Committee  has  been  outraged,  and  that 
of  the  new  members  of  the  Committee  will  be  so  likewise. 
Its  commands,  which  were  only  based  on  measures  taken  to 
ensure  public  safety,  are  being  plainly  transgressed,  for  it 
can  never  have  intended  to  place  all  my  goods  and  furniture 
at  the  mercy  of  my  enemy,  who  has  been  so  vociferous  in 
his  declarations.  Never  can  the  Committee  have  intended 
to  let  him  usurp  my  place  and  position,  disposing  absolutely 
of  my  house  and  my  goods  ;  they  have  always  been  under 
your  guard  and  protection,  under  the  aegis  of  the  law,  the 
duty  of  enforcing  which  has  been  placed  in  your  hands  by  the 
whole  area  of  our  department. 

I  dare  thus  to  invoke  the  supervision,  the  paternal  care, 
that  all  whom  you  govern  have  always  experienced  from  you. 
Let  citizen  Greive  carry  out  the  law  and  the  orders  he  has 

1  See  Vatel,  Vol.  Ill,  p.  210.  The  accusatory  decree  against  La 
Vallery  and  two  of  his  colleagues  was  issued  on  September  15. 
There  is  no  ground  for  believing  in  the  existence  of  romantic  relations 
between  him  and  the  Countess. 


AN   ELOQUENT   APPEAL  303 

received,  but  do  not  let  him  go  beyond  his  instruction. 
See  to  it  that  my  house  and  goods  be  spared  further  pillage  ! 
He  is  responsible  to  you  for  the  execution  of  the  commands 
enjoined  on  him  in  your  district. 

Of  what  do  they  accuse  me  ?  My  unpatriotic  sentiments 
and  my  fortune  !  But  my  fortune  and  my  goods  are  in 
themselves  proof  of  my  devotion  to  my  country.  In  view  of 
the  several  opportunities  that  I  had  of  going  to  England,  if 
I  had  not  loved  my  country,  should  I  not  also  have  been 
able  to  send  most  of  my  fortune  there,  thus  deserting  the 
soil  of  France  ?  I  therefore  owe  the  persecution  I  have 
suffered  only  to  my  love  for  my  country.  You  will  think 
favourably,  citizen  governors,  of  all  that  I  have  done  in  the 
cause  of  the  Revolution ;  you  cannot  allow  me  to  be 
oppressed  any  longer,  for  I  have  faith  in  your  justice  and 
humanity. 

Citizeness  Du  Barry.1 

In  the  meantime  Greive  and  Salanave  obtained  the 
necessary  powers  from  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  to 
break  the  seals  at  Louveciennes,  of  whose  treasures  they 
made  the  inventory  :  they  then  confided  them  to  the  care 
of  Zamore  and  the  National  Guards.  Greive  took  posses- 
sion of  the  papers  that  had  escaped  destruction  and  were 
found  in  the  furniture  or  in  drawers.  He  made  abstracts 
of  them,  annotated  and  compared  them,  and  thus  put  to- 
gether the  most  weighty  collection  of  incriminating  evidence. 
Never  was  trial  better  prepared  or  more  ardently  prose- 
cuted !  The  man  knew  everything  about  the  Countess, 
initiated  as  he  was  by  the  treachery  of  her  servants  into 
each  intimate  particular  of  her  life,  to  which  knowledge  he 
could  further  add  that  derived  from  the  espionage  practised 
on  her  in  London. 

The  letters  taken  are  full  of  marginal  comments  hi  the 
minute  writing  of  her  accuser,  and  sometimes  notes  com- 
pleting the  information  are  pinned  on.  The  accusations 
are  very  precise  and  well  supported  by  facts.  Among  the 

1  This  document  is  all  in  Madame  Du  Barry's  writing.  It  was 
communicated  to  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  and  bore  the 
tragic  inscription  :  "  Nothing  to  be  done." 


304  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

many  wrongs  complained  of,  some  seem  ridiculously  puerile, 
but  several  others  are  important  and  may  well  have  excited 
the  passions  of  that  time.  They  constitute  the  history  of 
a  counter-revolutionary,  of  a  conspirator  whose  devotion 
to  her  friends  was  carried  to  foolhardiness,  and  even  to 
the  point  of  death.  Greive  next  summed  up  the  poor 
woman's  culpability  in  a  few  pages,  and  with  infernal  skill 
prepared  the  way  for  the  examining  magistrates.  An 
unbiassed  reading  of  his  work,  together  with  the  authentic 
documents  he  used,  compel  belief  in  the  evidence  he  pro- 
duced. Madame  Du  Barry  violated  the  Revolutionary  law, 
and  betrayed  the  Republic  to  the  best  of  her  ability. 

Charges  against  the  Du  Barry.1 

1.  She  enjoyed  the  favour  of  the  Crown  of  France,  even 
after  her  so-called  disgrace,  and  until  the  date  of  the  Revolu- 
tion she  has  been  connected  with  those  who  are  now  our 
most  cruel  enemies. 

Proofs.  The  letters  of  Calonne,  of  Villedeuil,  of  Durvey, 
Court  banker  and  Beaujon's  successor,  etc. 

2.  She  kept  up  relations  with  them  after  the  Revolution. 
Proofs.     In  her  correspondence  and  intimacy  with  Brissac, 

with  his  daughter,  formerly  Duchess  de  Mortemart,  .  .  . 
as  is  shown  as  much  by  her  correspondence  with  them  as  by 
the  notes  and  letters  referring  to  the  connection,  and  by  the 
evidence  of  citizen  Blache  and  other  eye-witnesses  ;  by  her 
intimacy  with  the  former  Chevalier  de  Coigny,  to  whose 
dealings  with  foreign  powers  on  behalf  of  the  tyrant  refer- 
ence is  made ;  ...  by  her  intimacy  with  the  former 
Duke  de  Coigny,  his  father,  an  imigri ;  with  the  woman 
Brunoy,  an  emigree ;  with  the  wife  of  the  Portuguese  Am- 
bassador, a  relative  of  Lafayette,  one  of  our  most  violent 

1  But  that  it  would  take  too  long,  it  would  be  possible  to  annotate 
this  extract,  referring  each  point  to  the  original  documents  of  Madame 
Du  Barry's  dossier,  several  of  which  have  been  quoted  in  the  course 
of  the  book.  The  accounts  have  obviously  been  exaggerated,  but 
on  the  whole  Greive's  chief  deductions  were  justified  in  view  of  the 
facts  that  he  collated.  Vatel's  neglect  of  this  document,  that  was 
given  incorrectly  but  in  its  entirety  by  Dauban,  is  inexplicable.  But 
Vatel's  one  object  is  to  prove  Madame  Du  Barry's  innocence,  even 
in  the  face  of  all  evidence. 


A    LONG   INDICTMENT  305 

enemies ;  with  the  former  Duchess  de  Brancas,  .  .  . 
with  the  former  Marquis  de  Nesle,  an  emigre,  with  the  former 
Countess  de  Laigle  ;  with  the  former  Chevalier  de  Durfort 
.  .  .  .  with  La  Bourdic,  as  may  be  seen  from  the  annexed 
documents  in  which  the  latter,  when  arrested  at  Versailles, 
recommends  a  young  man  to  her  notice  ;  with  La  Vougny, 
an  emigree,  for  whom,  according  to  the  documents,  both  she 
and  Brissac  worked  in  London  and  in  Paris  to  procure  her 
passports  ;  with  Breteuil ;  with  the  man  named  Laroche, 
ex-curate  of  Agen,  Abbe  of  Fontenilles  or  Laigle,  who 
was  guillotined  a  month  ago  hi  the  Place  de  la  Revolution ; 1 
with  de  Boisseson,  an  emigre,  who  married  her  niece,  formerly 
major  in  the  Conde  Dragoons,  of  which  Jaucourt  was 
Lieutenant-Colonel  (see  a  letter  from  Boisseson  to  Brissac 
.  .  .  where  he  speaks  of  his  principles,  etc.)  ;  with  le 
Graillet,  an  imigri,  formerly  Guard  of  Artois,  the  man  whose 
titles  to  nobility,  warrants,  etc.,  were  found  buried  in  the 
garden  of  Louveciennes.  .  .  .  (Graillet's  daughter 
always  stayed  with  the  Du  Barry  ;  her  mother  is  detained  at 
Versailles  as  the  result  of  the  recent  denunciation  of  a 
section)  ;  with  the  woman  d'Harvelay,  now  Calonne,  as 
appears  from  notes  of  her  journey  to  London,  for  instance,  as 
to  a  ring  given  to  the  woman  Calonne  ...  by  money 
given  to  her  coachman  ;  by  her  connection  with  the  wife  of 
Le  Brun,  the  painter,  a  friend  of  Calonne,  whom  he  employed 
in  foreign  courts,  for  it  is  well-known  that  the  woman  Le 
Brun  travelled  all  over  Europe  after  the  Revolution  (see, 
besides,  how  she  ridicules  the  Revolution  in  a  few  words  in 
the  only  letter  from  her  we  have  found  dated  from  Naples) 2 ; 
with  d'Aiguillon,  mother  and  son  (Blache  will  prove  it) 
.  .  . ;  with  Narbonne  .  .  . ;  with  the  former  Princess 
d'Henin  (Blache  will  prove  it) ;  with  Forth,  the  famous 
English  spy,  who  skilf ully  took  advantage  of  her  diamond 
robbery,  whether  real  or  imaginary,  to  make  her  a  tool  hi 
promoting  the  plots  of  the  Courts  of  the  Tuileries  and  London 
(see  her  letters,  Brissac's  instructions,  the  frequent  journeys 

1  The  Abbe  de  la  Roche-Fontenilles.  In  the  margin ;  "  Salanave 
will  prove  that  this  Abbe  dined  with  her  on  the  day  Maussabre, 
Brissac's  page,  and  a  conspirator  of  August  10,  was  taken." 

*  The  unsigned  letter  from  the  innocent  artist  bears  the  following 
remark  :  "  Letter  from  the  woman  Le  Brun,  painter,  and  mistress  of 
Calonne." 
w 


306  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

of  her  courier  and  her  valet-de-chambre,  Peuchet,  from 
London  to  Paris,  and  from  Paris  to  London,  a  letter  from 
Forth  .  .  .  from  which  she  tore  off  the  signature,  be- 
cause August  10,  or  at  least  the  struggle  between  liberty  and 
royalty,  was  approaching  ;  and  the  villain  B6thune-Charost 
has  admitted  to  me  that  Forth  was  in  Paris  at  this  time  in 
order  to  help  the  Court ;  the  use  she  made  at  this  time  of 
d'Angremont,  who  has  since  been  executed  for  having 
recruited  for  the  Court,  and  who  ranged  Paris  in  the  Du 
Barry's  carriage  and  used  her  horses)  ;  by  her  connections 
with  this  same  d'Angremont,  as  appears  from  the  accompany- 
ing document,  which  shows  that  she  obtained  eight  guns 
from  the  poUce-administration  of  Paris  on  the  strength  of  an 
order  signed  Perron,  under  the  pretext  of  a  non-existent 
demand  from  the  local  authorities  of  Louveciennes,  a  fact 
to  which  the  inhabitants  can  bear  witness  (she  therefore  did 
it  to  arm  her  chateau  ;  and  note  the  period,  which  was  the 
beginning  of  the  year  1790,  when  all  the  former  noblemen 
tried  to  arm  themselves  while  spewing  forth  infamies  about 
the  National  Guard)  ;  by  her  connection  with  Earthier, 
formerly  Lord  Lieutenant  of  Paris,  who  took  refuge  with 
her  .  .  . ;  with  the  former  Chevalier  d'Escourre,  Bris- 
sac's  equerry,  imprisoned  at  La  Force  .  .  .  who  acted 
as  intermediary  in  the  making  of  the  loans  to  the  Bishop  of 
Rouen,  the  Cardinal  de  La  Rochefoucauld,  son  of  the  former 
Duchess  de  Danville,  Condorcet's  friend,  and  to  Rohan- 
Chabot,  son-in-law  to  the  same  Duchess  de  Danville  (be- 
sides the  Du  Barry's  loans  to  the  Bishop  of  Rouen,  it  would 
seem  from  Vandenyver's  accounts,  that  these  two  gentle- 
men, as  also  the  Viscount  de  Juilhac,  formerly  a  cavalry 
officer,  all  received  considerable  sums  from  the  Du  Barry 
at  this  period)  ;  with  the  former  Princess  de  Rohan- Roche- 
fort,  a  woman  whose  wickedness  was  greater  than  her  folly  ; 
with  the  villainous  suicide  La  Vallery,  governor  of  Seine-et- 
Oise ;  with  the  former  Viscount  De  Pont  (Donnissant  and  De 
Pont  dined  with  the  Du  Barry  on  the  Tuesday  after  Whit- 
sunday this  year  ;  which  just  shows  how  she  had  broken  off 
all  her  counter-revolutionary  connections !).  .  .  . 

3.  She  kept  up  a  correspondence  with  the  emigres. 

Proofs.  Various  letters  found  in  her  house,  her  corres- 
pondence and  communications  with  La  Mortemart  .  .  . 
the  fact  that  she  spent  the  night  after  Brissac's  death  in 


FINANCING   THE    ROYALISTS  307 

burning  letters  (we  have  witnesses  of  this  deed  at  Louve- 
ciennes)  ;  a  register,  found  there,  of  forces  intended  for  the 
Netherlands,  dated  from  Luxembourg,  as  if  coming  from 
Vienna.  See  the  documents  you  have,  and  particularly 
a  short  letter  dated  from  Brussels,  the  envelope  of  which  you 
will  find  among  the  documents  I  send  you  to-day,  and  the 
ducal  arms  on  which  seem  to  be  those  of  the  former  Prince  de 
Ligne.  .  .  . 

4.  She  supplied  the  counter-revolution  with  money. 
Proofs.    The  order  on  her  banker  in  1793  (in  the  month  of 

January)  to  pay  the  Bishop  of  Rouen  the  sum  of  200,000 
livres  within  a  week  ;  the  order  was  made  in  London,  at  the 
time  when  Pitt  was  stirring  up  war,  civil  and  international, 
against  us  ;  that,  in  spite  of  her  assumed  devotion  to  France, 
she  lived  on  the  most  intimate  terms  with  the  Duke  of 
Queensberry,  Lord  Hawkesbury,  Lord  Loughborough,  the 
Chancellor,  Lord  Thurlow,  the  ex-Chancellor  of  England, 
Lord  Pembroke,  who  is  now  commanding  the  English  cavalry 
against  us  in  the  Netherlands,  Whitshed  Keene,  first  Lord- 
in-Waiting  and  favourite  of  George  III.,  with  all  the  most 
violent  enemies  of  France,  all  in  London !  All  the  documents 
we  found  prove  it,  as  well  as  the  testimony  of  Blache  and 
others,  and  I  shall  myself  prove  it  from  the  documents 
transferred  to  you.  .  .  .  The  loan  of  20,000  livres  made 
in  the  same  month  to  Rohan-Chabot.  .  .  .  The  one 
made  in  the  month  of  January  to  the  Bishop  of  Rouen,  of  a 
similar  sum,  by  an  order  on  her  banker  in  London. 

5.  She  always  built  upon  the  counter-revolution. 
Proofs.     Her  silver  plate  hidden  in  a  secret  place  in  her 

cellar,  her  diamonds,  gold  and  precious  stones  buried  in  her 
garden.  .  .  .  Why  did  she  have  them  hidden,  instead  of 
giving  or  selling  them  to  the  Republic  ?  The  reply  is 
obvious.  .  .  . 

6.  She  has  made  counter-revolutionary  remarks  against 
the  Revolution  and  against  Paris.     .     .     . 

7.  She  wore  mourning  for  the  tyrant  in  London,  where 
she  only  visited  the  emigres  and  the  enemies  of  France. 

8.  She  always  detested  the  Revolution,  instigated  counter- 
revolutionary feeling,  encouraged  detractors  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, and  protected  the  royalists. 

Proofs.    The  innumerable  counter-revolutionary  writings, 
pamphlets  and  prints  found  in  her  house,  not  one  single 


308  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

one  of  which  is  patriotic  ;  her  subscription  to  all  the  aristo- 
cratic journals,  having,  after  every  change  we  have  under- 
gone, taken  those  which  corresponded  most  nearly  with  her 
own  ways  of  thinking,  beginning  with  the  Actes  des  Apotres 
and  the  Gazette  de  Paris,  and  down  by  degrees  to  the  Gazette 
universelle,  the  political  correspondence  of  Du  Pont,  and  the 
counter-revolutionary  writings  of  the  Federalists  ;  the  proof 
lies  in  the  documents,  and  in  the  medal  of  Pitt  found  hidden 
in  the  room  of  her  favourite  and  confidant,  La  Roussel. 

9.  She  has  always  favoured  the  counter-revolutionists, 
and  prosecuted  the  patriots.     .     .     . 

10.  She  has  favoured  our  foreign  enemies. 

Proofs.  In  her  frequent  journeys  to  London  at  the 
most  noteworthy  periods  of  our  Revolution ;  in  Brissac's 
instructions  to  her  ;  in  the  favour  she  enjoyed  at  the  Court 
of  London,  at  the  very  time  when  this  same  Court  drove  all 
the  patriotic  Frenchmen  out  of  England  in  the  most  atrocious 
manner,  for  she  stayed  there  until  the  middle  of  the  month 
of  March,  although  war  was  declared  at  the  beginning  of 
February ;  far  from  being  driven  out  of  London,  she  only 
returned  when  she  heard  of  the  confiscation  of  her  property 
at  Louveciennes,  and  she  asked  to  return  to  London  a 
week  after  she  came  home,  as  is  proved  by  her  diary  of  her 
travels,  by  her  applications  to  Lebrun,  and  by  the  documents 
certifying  the  supposed  necessity  for  her  presenting  herself  in 
London  on  April  14  (she  had  come  home  on  March  23),  a 
certificate  signed  by  the  most  contemptible  courtiers  of  the 
tyrant  George  .  .  .,  by  the  medal  of  Pitt,  by  the  writings 
from  Coblenz,  Rome,  London,  etc.,  etc. 

11.  She  has  squandered  the  resources  of  the  State. 
Proofs.     .     .     . 

12.  She  tried  to  dispose  of  her  treasures  when  she  saw 
that  her  scandalous  activity  and  her  counter-revolutionary 
conduct  had  attracted  attention. 

Proofs.  That,  in  spite  of  her  assurances  to  the  district 
of  Versailles  that  she  had  "  very  little  silver-plate  "  left, 
she  dug  up  an  enormous  quantity  that  she  had  hidden  in  a 
wall  .  .  .  ,  part  of  which  she  sent  to  Paris,  a  little  at  a 
time.  .  .  .  She  sold  a  strong-box  by  the  help  of  an 
abb6.  .  .  .  She  had  already  tried  to  sell  her  diamonds  in 
Holland  in  1790  (see  Vandenyver's  letters)  and  when  they 
came  back,  a  real  or  feigned  theft  (there  are  two  articles  of 


IN   THE   TOILS  309 

gold-mounted  diamonds  found  buried  in  her  garden,  which  are 
described  among  the  articles  supposed  to  be  lost)  led  to  their 
being  taken  ...  to  England,  where  they  now  are, 
acknowledged  as  belonging  to  her  though  no  thief  has  suffered 
by  as  much  as  a  scratch  for  having  stolen  them  .  .  . 

13.  Whatever  the  truth  may  be,  this  mysterious  robbery 
has  given  her  an  excuse  for  making  several  journeys  to 
London,  of  which  the  two  courts  have  apparently  taken 
advantage  to  send  each  other  information,  etc.,  without 
committing  the  crime  of  emigration ;   see  also  how  artfully 
she  worked  in  concert  with  Lebrun,  with  Vandenyver,  with 
acknowledged  double-dealers  among  the  governors  of  Ver- 
sailles,1 and  with  the  weak  or  corrupted  municipal  authori- 
ties of  Louveciennes,  in  order  to  avoid  being  classed  among 
the  Emigres.     Such  art  and  foresight  are  indeed  worthy  of 
one  schooled  by  that  profound  master  of  MachiavelHsm, 
Forth. 

Moral  proofs  arising  out  of  the  documents,  the  periods 
and  the  probabilities  in  question. 

14.  She  has  been  considered  an  bnigree  by  the  district. 
Note  that  she  has  always  been  protected,  in  the  most  scanda- 
lous manner,  by  several  governors  of  the  district ;  she  still 
is  !  !  !     .     .     . 

She  ought  in  fact  to  be  considered  an  frnigree. 

Proofs.  She  can  only  produce  passports  for  six  weeks, 
.  .  .  and  she  was  away  for  nearly  six  months  without 
having  them  renewed.  .  .  .  Why  should  the  Du 
Barry  enjoy  the  privilege  of  breaking  the  law  with  im- 
punity ?  .  .  .2 

Under  the  reign  of  the  Terror,  when  those  on  whom 
suspicion  but  glanced  were  liable  to  suffer  the  death  penalty, 
Madame  Du  Barry  could  scarcely  hope  to  escape.  Once 
arrested,  her  condemnation  was  certain  ;  a  single  accusation 
proved  against  her  would  have  been  enough,  and  Greive  had 

1  In  the  margin  :  "  Fournier,  the  justice  of  the  peace  at  Marly, 
is  prepared  to  prove  that  her  steward,  Morin,  admitted  to  him  that 
he  feared  nothing  for  his  mistress,  because  he  was  sure  of  La  Vallery 
and  the  other  governors  of  Seine-et-Oise." 

1  A  fifteenth  charge  refers  to  Madame  Du  Barry's  untruthful 
allegations  as  to  her  fortune.  Greive  also  drew  up  a  list  of  witnesses 
to  be  heard,  indicating  in  each  case  what  was  the  most  damaging 
evidence. 


310  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

collected  so  many,  all  supported  by  facts  and  witnesses 
The  guillotine  had  become  an  institution  in  Paris  and  the 
provinces.  On  October  16,  Marie-Antoinette  greeted  death 
as  a  deliverer  ;  on  the  3ist  the  Girondins  went  to  the  scaffold, 
on  November  8  Madame  Roland,  on  the  I2th  Bailly.  The 
mob  demanded  famous  heads ;  and  the  "  aristocrat  "  of 
Louveciennes  could  not  be  forgotten  for  long. 

Deserted  and  alone  at  Sainte-Pelagie,  Madame  Du  Barry 
yet  had  the  energy  to  make  an  appeal  to  the  pity  of  the 
Committee  of  Public  Safety ;  and  indeed  if  intelligence 
and  will  alone  could  have  saved  her  life,  she  would  have 
succeeded  in  doing  so  by  herself.  Her  gentle,  indulgent 
soul  was  for  once  touched  by  the  passion  of  hatred,  and  in 
a  few  contemptuous  lines  she  accused  Greive,  the  man  who 
had  bound  her  hands  and  was  dragging  her  to  her  death. 
Then,  with  gentle  words  she  supplicated  the  harsh  Tribunal : 

For  the  second  time  citizeness  Du  Barry,  a  victim  of 
denunciation,  appears  before  the  Committee  of  Public  Safe- 
ty. The  members  of  the  Committee  are  no  longer  the  same, 
but  the  principles  by  which  they  are  guided  are  the  same ; 
they  are  all  equally  inspired  by  the  same  principles  of  equity 
and  impartiality,  and  thus,  with  the  most  complete  confi- 
dence, she  can  submit  her  conduct  to  the  scrutiny  of  those 
to  whom  circumstances  have  made  these  principles  a  law. 

The  first  thing  of  importance  to  be  done,  is  to  make  known 
the  accuser.  He  has  given  his  name  himself.  After  having 
tried  to  ruin  the  petitioner's  reputation  by  a  defamatory 
libel,  Citizen  Greive  has  made  vain  attempts  to  outrage  the 
integrity  of  the  Committee ;  innocence  triumphed,  but  the 
accuser  would  take  no  rebuff ;  he  dared  to  write  it,  and 
finally,  when  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  was  renewed,  he 
renewed  his  denunciation. 

It  is  horrible  to  think  that  the  same  Greive  was  entrusted 
with  carrying  out  the  orders  of  the  Committee  ;  the  manner 
in  which  he  acquitted  himself  of  his  duty  betrays  the 
violence  of  his  animosity  against  the  petitioner,  and  the  fatal 
consequences  that  might  ensue  if  the  wisdom  of  the  Com- 
mittee were  not  a  protection,  placing  her  above  all  fear. 

Every  formality  was  violated ;  the  very  orders  of  the 
Committee  did  not  curb  him,  for  he  plainly  transgressed  them. 


A   VAIN    DEFENCE  311 

He  began  by  taking  possession  of  the  petitioner's  person. 
Words  cannot  describe  the  horrible  outrages  of  which  he  was 
guilty.  .  .  .  He  set  about  opening,  and  even  breaking 
in,  the  doors,  and  lastly  examining  papers. 

The  law,  which  is  the  protection  of  all,  justice  and  the 
very  orders  of  the  Committee  demand  that  this  examination 
should  have  been  made  in  the  petitioner's  presence.  What 
refuge  is  there  for  her,  if  the  malice  of  her  enemies  succeeds 
in  charging  her  with  the  possession  of  suspicious  papers  ? 
What  redress  can  she  win  ?  Against  whom  should  she  use 
this  redress,  if  they  succeed  in  depriving  her  of  some  of  her 
property  ?  Citizen  Greive  is  an  undomiciled  stranger,  since 
he  is  now  in  Paris,  now  at  Luciennes,  staying  with  citizens 
to  whom  he  is  a  stranger,  and  without  any  known  means  of 
subsistence. 

To  his  arbitrary  and  law-breaking  deeds  citizen  Greive  has 
added  the  inhumanity  of  depriving  the  petitioner  of  her 
assignats,  of  refusing  her  the  use  of  her  linen  and  the  fruits 
of  her  garden,  in  that  he  has  driven  her  out  of  her  house  in 
order  to  take  possession  of  it  and  put  himself  in  her  place 
and  position.  After  this  exposure  can  the  Committee  judge 
him  worthy  of  their  confidence  ? 

The  petitioner  makes  no  complaint  of  the  hard  measures 
taken  against  her.  As  long  as  these  measures  are  in  the 
cause  of  public  safety  and  dictated  by  justice,  she  can  sub- 
mit to  them  with  patience,  and  bear  her  fate  without  com- 
plaint. .  .  .  But  she  trusts  the  members  of  the  Com- 
mittee will  be  so  kind  as  to  examine  her  conduct  as  soon  as 
possible,  in  order  that  they  may  determine  upon  her  case, 
with  full  knowledge.  ...  In  a  word,  of  what  is  she 
accused  ? 

Her  journeys  to  England  ?  Their  purpose  is  known, 
as  she  avowed  to  the  constituted  authorities  in  order  to 
prevent  even  the  breath  of  suspicion  falling  upon  her 
devotion  to  the  cause  of  the  Revolution.  She  returned  to 
France  before  the  termination  of  the  affair  which  took  her 
to  London,  relating  to  her  stolen  property,  which  she  has 
not  yet  regained  ;  since  then  she  has  had  no  correspondence 
abroad. 

Is  she  blamed  for  not  being  patriotic  ?  But  she  has 
always  given  evidence  of  strong  feelings  of  patriotism.  The 
local  authorities  and  the  inhabitants  of  Louveciennes  have 


312  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

testified  to  it ;  all  the  examinations  made  by  the  Depart- 
ment of  Seine-at-Oise  resulted  in  depositions  highly  in  her 
favour ;  all  the  documents  were  laid  before  the  former 
Committee ;  will  the  present  members  not  have  them 
brought  before  them,  too  ? 

Strong  in  the  assurance  of  her  innocence  and  good  con- 
duct, the  petitioner  awaits  with  confidence  the  decision  that 
will  restore  her  liberty. 

The  whole  line  of  defence  taken  up  by  the  accused  is 
indicated  in  the  above  appeal,  and  she  was  to  abide  by  it 
bravely  in  her  coming  trial.  Greive  delivered  his  report 
to  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  and  two  members, 
Voulland  and  Jagot,  came  to  the  prison  on  October  30  and 
began  the  first  examination  of  "  the  woman  called  Du 
Barry."  With  a  presence  of  mind  that  she  retained  to  the 
end,  she  tried  to  justify  herself  without  betraying  any  one, 
as  the  documents  preserved  have  proved. 

National  Convention. — Committee  of  Public  Safety. 

(On  the  gth  of  the  2nd  month  of  year  II.  of  the  Republic 
one  and  indivisible.) 

Q.    What  is  your  name  ? 

A.  Jeanne  Vaubernier  Du  Barry,  aged  42  years  (sic), 
usually  resident  at  Luciennes  in  a  house  that  is  as  much 
mine  as  the  Nation's. 

Q.    Did  you  make  various  journeys  to  London  ? 

A .     I  made  four. 

Q.  What  was  the  purpose  of  these  different  journeys 
and  when  were  they  made  ? 

A.  They  were  on  account  of  the  theft  of  diamonds  and 
other  goods  which  I  suffered  during  the  night  of  January 
10,  1791 

Q.  Was  there  not  a  limit  put  in  your  passport  to  the 
time  you  were  allowed  to  spend  in  London  ? 

A  The  time  was  not  limited,  and  could  not  reasonably 
have  been  so,  seeing  that  a  lawsuit  was  in  question. 

Q.  While  you  were  in  London  the  National  Convention 
issued  several  edicts  compelling  all  Frenchmen  who  had  left 
the  Republic  after  a  certain  date  to  return,  under  penalty 
of  being  considered  tmigrts,  and  treated  as  such  if  they  did 
not.  Did  you  know  of  them  ? 


A    SEARCHING   EXAMINATION  313 

A.  I  knew  of  those  edicts,  but  could  not  believe  they 
applied  to  me,  as  the  reason  why  I  left  was  known  and  I 
had  a  passport. 

Q.  People  who  took  an  interest  in  you  wrote  to  persuade 
you  to  return  to  France.  .  .  .  Why  did  you  neglect 
this  advice  ? 

A.  I  do  not  remember  having  received  a  letter  con- 
taining such  advice.  If  I  had,  I  should  have  followed  it. 

We  at  once  produced  a  letter  in  which  citizen  Vandenyver 
wrote  on  November  19,  1792^0  the  respondent,  warning  her 
that  "  the  edicts  of  the  National  Convention  fulminated  " 
against  those  he  called  "  absent  subjects,  who  are  all  con- 
sidered as  emigres."  The  respondent,  while  recognising  the 
letter,  alleged  an  exception  in  the  following  phrase  :  "  How- 
ever, I  do  not  think  you  can  be  regarded  as  such,  considering 
the  passports  with  which  you  are  provided,  and  the  notoriety 
of  the  purpose  of  your  journey,  namely,  your  lawsuit,  which 
is  generally  known."  The  respondent  stated  that  this 
phrase  was  the  determining  motive  for  her  continued  stay  in 
London.  .  .  .  We  then  marked  the  said  letter  and  the 
respondent  added  her  signature  to  ours. 

The  examination  was  continued  on  the  subject  of  the 
loans,  which  were  incontestably  the  gravest  charge  against 
her.  Madame  Du  Barry  admitted  having  lent  Rohan  Chabot 
two  hundred  thousand  livres,  but  she  denied  all  the  rest. 

Q.  At  the  same  time  did  you  not  lend  the  Bishop  of 
Rouen  a  sum  of  200,000  livres,  through  Vandenyver  ? 

A.  No,  that  can  only  be  the  sum  lent  to  Rohan-Chabot, 
and  I  persist  in  saying  that  he  is  the  only  person  to  whom  I 
lent  200,000  livres. 

We  immediately  laid  before  the  respondent  a  letter, 
written  to  her  by  Vandenyver  during  her  stay  in  London, 
and  dated  January  7,  1793,  where  the  following  might  be 
read :  "  Under  such  circumstances  a  citizen  came  to  tell 
us  that  you  intended  he  should  be  provided  with  the  sum 
of  200,000  livres  to  be  lent  to  the  Bishop  of  Rouen,  by  a 
mortgage  on  landed  property,  and  that  it  was  to  be  paid 
this  week." 

The  accused  had  no  better  defence  as  regards  the  two 
letters  from  de  Custine,  which  she  said  she  had  taken  by 


314  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

mistake  from  the  hotel  de  Brissac,  "  when  writing  there  one 
day  at  a  bureau."  1  She  was  questioned  with  the  same 
minuteness  on  all  the  correspondence  seized  in  her  house. 
She  replied  simply,  always  ready  with  an  explanation,  and 
without  attempting  to  conceal  circumstances  that  the  seizure 
of  her  papers  had  made  evident,  but  rather  doing  her  best 
to  show  that  they  had  arisen  quite  naturally.  Thus  she  made 
clear  her  position  with  regard  to  the  Princess  de  Rohan- 
Rochefort,  the  Princess  Lubomirska,  the  Marquise  and  the 
Duchess  de  Mortemart,  letting  slip  no  word  of  imprudence, 
but  counting  on  the  good  faith  of  her  judges.  The  latter 
recurred  several  times  to  the  subject  of  the  money  lent  to 
the  emigres,  who  had  taken  refuge  in  London. 

Q.  Explain  to  us  an  account  you  kept,  according  to  which 
you  distributed  several  guineas  to  various  people  in  London, 
such  as  those  named  Pauline,  Henriette,  Fortune.,  Monsieur 
Melino,  and  Frondeville  ? 

A,  The  woman  named  Pauline  is  Madame  de  Morte- 
mart, the  one  named  Henriette  is  my  waiting-woman,  the 
man  named  Fortune  is  English,  Monsieur  Melino  is  English, 
Frondeville  is  President  of  the  Parliament  of  Rouen.  The 
sums  that  I  gave  to  Madame  de  Mortemart  were  for  things 
I  required ;  those  distributed  to  Henriette,  my  waiting- 
woman,  were  for  the  same  purpose  ;  Melino  was  entrusted 
with  the  management  of  my  lawsuit,  and  had  made  ad- 
vances which  I  had  to  repay  ;  Fortune  and  Frondeville  were 
commissioned  to  play  on  my  account. 

Other  questions  followed,  on  the  correctness  of  the  list 
of  stolen  jewels,  and  on  the  cash  the  Countess  had  kept  by 
her,  which  action  constituted  a  grave  offence.  Finally 
she  signed  the  official  report  with  Jagot  and  Voulland. 

Two  days  later,  on  the  nth  Brumaire,  year  II.,  the  same 
two  representatives  of  the  people  went  to  the  prison  of  La 
Force  in  order  to  examine  Vandenyver  senior.  When 
questioned  on  the  negotiations  of  the  Countess,  the  banker, 

1  The  General  de  Custine  had  been  guillotined  on  the  previous 
August  28  ;  his  trial  had  roused  popular  fury  to  the  utmost,  and  the 
smallest  connection  with  the  "  traitor  "  was  enough  to  compromise 
any  accused  person. 


A   NOBLE   SELF-SACRIFICE  315 

notwithstanding  his  extreme  prudence,  could  not  entirely 
conceal  certain  suspicious  monetary  transactions,  nor  the 
scandal  of  an  immense  fortune  having  been  placed  at  the 
disposal  of  the  enemies  of  the  State. 

For  two  months  the  poor  woman  was  kept  in  the  prison 
hi  solitary  confinement.  But  after  that  she  probably 
received  a  visit  from  one  of  the  brave  priests  who  used  to 
penetrate  into  the  dungeons  in  order  to  administer  the 
consolations  of  religion  to  the  unfortunate  captives.  One 
would  like  to  believe  in  the  authenticity  of  an  anecdote, 
dating  probably  from  the  time  of  her  detention  in  Sainte- 
Pelagie  ;  at  least  it  is  quite  in  agreement  with  Madame  Du 
Barry's  character. 

"  A  little  before  the  Countess  Du  Barry  was  guillotined, 
on  December  8,  1793,  an  Irish  priest  succeeded  in  gaining 
access  to  her,  in  the  prison  of  La  Conciergerie  (sic),  and 
offered  to  save  her,  if  she  could  provide  him  with  the  neces- 
sary money  for  bribing  the  gaolers  and  paying  for  the 
journey.  She  asked  him  if  he  could  not  save  two  people ; 
he  replied  that  his  project  only  permitted  of  one  being 
saved.  '  In  that  case,'  said  Madame  Du  Barry,  '  I  shall 
certainly  give  you  an  order  on  my  banker  for  the  necessary 
sum,  but  I  should  much  rather  that  the  Duchess  de  Morte- 
mart  escaped  death  than  I.  She  is  in  hiding  in  the  loft  of 
such  and  such  a  house  at  Calais ;  here  is  a  draft  on  my 
banker,  now  fly  to  her  aid.'  After  having  attempted  to 
persuade  her  to  allow  him  to  get  her  out  of  prison,  the 
priest,  being  at  last  convinced  that  she  put  the  Duchess 
first,  took  the  draft,  obtained  the  money,  went  to  Calais, 
brought  the  Duchess  de  Mortemart  out  of  her  hiding-place, 
disguised  her  as  a  woman  of  the  people  and,  taking  her 
under  his  care,  made  her  travel  on  foot  with  him,  saying 
that  he  was  a  good  constitutional  priest,  married  to  the 
woman ;  people  answered  bravo  and  let  them  pass.  He 
thus  succeeded  hi  passing  the  French  troops  and  came  to 
Ostend,  whence  he  embarked  for  England  with  Madame  de 
Mortemart,  whom  I  have  since  seen  in  London."  l 

1  Mf moires  d'un  voyageur  qui  se  repose,  Paris,  1806.     Dutens  is 


316  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

Whatever  the  actual  service  that  Madame  Du  Barry 
rendered  to  the  Duke  de  Brissac's  daughter  may  have  been, 
it  is  at  least  certain  that  she  thought  much  of  her  when  in 
prison.  Her  return  to  France  had  been  inspired  by  the 
hope  of  making  herself  useful  to  her ;  she  had  seen  the 
Duchess  in  Calais  the  last  time  she  passed  through  that 
town ;  and  among  the  emigres  it  was  a  well-known  fact 
that  she  had  sacrificed  herself  in  the  cause  of  her  affection.1 

After  the  examinations  and  the  production  of  the  docu- 
ments, the  decision  reached  by  the  Committee  of  Public 
Safety  was  inevitable.  By  an  order  of  the  2gth  Brumaire, 
Madame  Du  Barry  was  arraigned  before  the  Revolutionary 
Tribunal  for  "  emigrating,  and  for  having,  while  in  London 
^,  .  .  given  the  emigres  pecuniary  aid  .  .  .  and 
maintained  suspicious  relations  with  them."  On  the  2nd 
Frimaire  (November  22)  the  prisoner  was  taken  to  the 
Palais,  and  appeared  before  Rene  Francois  Dumas,  vice- 
president  of  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal,  who  examined  her 
for  the  second  time,  in  the  presence  of  the  Public  Prosecutor, 
Fouquier-Tinville.  She  replied  fearlessly,  bravely  recog- 
nising the  responsibilities  of  her  life  as  a  favourite,  upon 
which  the  magistrate  maliciously  dwelt,  and  repelling  with 
energy  the  serious  accusations  levelled  against  her.  Dumas 
kept  her  before  him  for  a  whole  hour ;  when  back  in  her 
prison,  she  wrote  to  Fouquier,  appealing  only  to  his  sense 

reputed  truthful  in  his  anecdotes,  and  his  account  seems  to  be 
confirmed  by  the  fact  that  the  Duchess  de  Mortemart,  after  having 
stayed  in  London  at  the  same  time  as  Madame  Du  Barry,  spent  some 
time  in  Calais  in  1793,  where  the  Countess  was  said  to  have  seen  her, 
on  the  occasion  of  her  last  return  to  France. 

1  Such  was  the  opinion  of  the  two  best-informed  men  of  the 
period,  the  Marquis  de  Bouille  and  the  Count  d'Espinchal.  The 
testimony  of  the  former  has  already  been  quoted  on  p.  286 ;  that 
of  the  latter,  who  was  far  from  England,  is  less  confirmatory 
and  introduces  a  particular  that  it  is  impossible  to  verify.  "The 
motive,  that  induced  her  to  return,  is  said  to  be  the  knowledge  which 
she  alone  possessed,  of  a  million  which  had  belonged  to  the  Duke  de 
Brissac,  and  which  she  hoped  to  assist  in  restoring  to  the  Duchess 
Pauline  de  Mortemart,  his  only  daughter."  Though  not  necessarily 
adopting  this  view,  the  number  of  indications  of  the  bonds  of  affec- 
tion uniting  Madame  Du  Barry  and  the  Duchess  de  Mortemart 
should  be  noted.  « 


AN   APPEAL   TO   FOUQUIER  317 

of  justice,  in  an  attempt  to  soften  the  heart  of  the  man, 
whom  she  yet  felt  to  be  implacable. 

Citizen  Public  Prosecutor, 

In  your  impartial  examination  of  the  unfortunate  action 
that  Greive  and  his  associates  have  raised  against  me  before 
the  Tribunal,  I  hope  you  will  only  see  in  me  the  victim  of 
an  intrigue  aimed  at  my  destruction. 

I  never  emigrated ;  I  never  even  intended  doing  so. 

The  use  I  made  of  the  two  hundred  thousand  livres,  which 
Escourre  delivered  to  citizen  Rohan  on  my  behalf,  should 
be  conclusive  proof  of  that,  even  to  the  most  prejudiced 
person. 

I  never  provided  the  emigres  with  money,  I  never  kept  up 
criminal  correspondence  with  them ;  and  if  I  was  compelled 
by  circumstances,  both  in  London  and  hi  France,  to  see 
persons  of  the  Court,  or  persons  who  were  perhaps  not  in 
complete  agreement  with  the  proceedings  of  the  Revolution, 
yet  I  sincerely  hope,  citizen  Public  Prosecutor,  that  you  will, 
in  the  justice  and  equity  of  your  heart,  estimate  aright  both 
the  circumstances  in  which  I  have  always  found  myself, 
and  my  relations,  which  are  well-known  and  were  forced  upon 
me,  with  citizen  Brissac,  whose  correspondence  is  before  you. 

I  trust  in  your  sense  of  justice ;  you  may  count  on  the 
eternal  gratitude  of  your  fellow-citizeness 

Vaubernier  Du  Barry. 

If  Fouquier  Tinville  deigned  to  glance  at  this  letter,  his 
only  reply,  on  the  I3th  Frimaire,  was  to  draw  up  the  prose- 
cution, and  to  demand  the  immediate  removal  of  the 
accused  and  her  accomplices  to  the  Conciergerie.  The  next 
day  their  names  were  entered  on  the  register  of  that  prison 
from  which  few  who  entered  ever  came  forth,  except  to 
meet  their  death. 

At  nine  o'clock  on  the  morning  of  the  i6th  Frimaire 
(December  6) ,  Madame  Du  Barry  and  the  three  Vandenyvers 
appeared  before  the  terrible  Tribunal,  officially  defended  by 
Chauveau-Legarde  and  Lafleuterie.  Dumas,  the  vice- 
president,  presided  over  the  court ;  Fouquier-Tinville 
made  sure  that  "  trusty  "  jurors,  such  as  Prieur  and  Trin- 
chard,  were  present.  The  accused,  whose  manner  was  self- 


3i8  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

possessed,  took  their  seats.  In  spite  of  her  privations,  her 
sleepless  nights,  her  tears,  Madame  Du  Barry  was  still 
strong,  and  could  view  without  trembling  the  host  of  wit- 
nesses prepared  to  give  evidence  against  her  to  the  utmost 
of  their  capacity  ;  among  them  were  Zamore,  whom  she  had 
brought  up,  Salanave,  who  for  twenty  years  had  been  her 
cook,  her  servants,  and  inhabitants  of  Louveciennes,  to 
whom  she  had  shown  nothing  but  kindness,  and  whose 
ingratitude  now  cloaked  itself  under  the  name  of  patriotism. 
With  what  thoughts  did  she  look  on  Greive,  who  sat  in  the 
chief  place,  brooding  over  his  prey  ?  Was  the  contempt  of 
the  disdainful  beauty  great  enough  to  make  her  once  more 
choose  death  rather  than  him  ? 

There  was  a  crowd  of  spectators  in  the  great  hall  of 
Liberty,1  for  the  chief  defendant  was  a  celebrated  woman, 
and  the  drama  to  be  played  out  was  exciting,  as  well  as 
obscure  and  complicated.  All  that  remains  to  us  now  are 
the  notes  taken  by  Fouquier-Tinville  and  the  juror  Topino- 
Lebrun  on  the  replies  made  to  President  Dumas.2 

First  of  all  the  Countess  was  examined.  In  deep  silence 
her  gentle  voice  was  heard  declaring  her  name,  her  birth- 
place, and  her  age,  which  a  last  coquettish  instinct  made  her 
give  as  forty-two  ;  and,  indeed,  she  was  still  pretty  enough 
to  be  believed,  as  the  eyes  of  the  men,  no  doubt,  told  her. 
Fouquier  wrote  as  follows  :  "  i.  Jeanne  Vaubernier,  wife  of 
Du  Barry,  legally  separated,  forty-two  years,  born  at  Vau- 
couleurs,  in  Lorraine,  resident  at  Louveciennes ;  2.  Jean- 
Baptiste  Vandenyver,  66  years,  Dutch  banker,  born  in 
Amsterdam,  resident  rue  Vivienne  ;  3.  Edme-Jean-Baptiste 
Vandenyver,  32  years,  banker,  born  in  Paris ;  4.  Antoine- 
Augustin  Vandenyver,  29  years,  banker,  born  in  Paris." 
Wolf,  the  Master  of  the  Rolls,  read  the  deed  of  prosecution, 
the  witnesses  took  the  oath,  and  Greive  was  called.  Fouquier- 

1  Formerly  the  great  hall  of  the  Parliament;  now  the  chief  hall 
of  the  Court  of  Appeal. 

1  Favrolle  (Madame  Guenard)  was  the  first  to  know  of  Fouquier's 
notes,  and  the  other  documents.  Vatel  added  Topino's  notes,  and 
published  the  whole,  without  taking  the  trouble  to  correct  the 
numerous  inaccuracies,  which  may  easily  mislead  the  reader. 


GREIVE'S   EVIDENCE  319 

Tinville,  whose  place  was  on  the  first  step  of  the  tribunal, 
took  down  the  evidence  with  his  swift  pen  "  that  seemed 
to  follow  every  word  "  : 

George  Greive,  born  in  England,  and  deputy  of  the  United 
States  of  America : — The  Du  Barry  hindered  recruiting 
at  Luciennes. — In  the  night  of  September  22  last,  the  day  of 
her  arrest,  a  quantity  of  silver  plate  was  found  in  a  receptacle 
used  for  keeping  gardening-tools  .  .  .  also  the  famous 
gold  service  and  precious  stones  and  emeralds  ;  in  another 
place  gold  corns,  pieces  of  six  livres,  were  found  buried  in  the 
ground,  as  also  bronzes  and  a  bust  of  Louis  XV.  .  . 
Further,  in  the  woman  Roussel's  room,  the  medal  of 
Pitt  hidden  under  bran.  Further,  a  large  number  of 
articles  said  to  have  been  stolen,  pencil-cases,  a  golden 
lorgnette.  .  .  . 

Forth,  the  English  spy,  came  to  Paris  in  1777.  This 
Forth  was  rewarded  with  a  considerable  pension,  and  made 
several  journeys  from  Paris  to  London,  and  vice-versa  from 
London  to  Paris.  A  letter  found  among  the  Dubarry's 
papers  shows  the  erased  signature  of  Forth,  and  of  Bethune- 
Charost,  who  was  closely  connected  with  this  Forth. 

[To  a  question  from  the  President,  the  accused]  replied 
that  she  did  not  know  whose  was  the  portrait  of  a  woman 
found  hidden  in  a  dunghill.  The  portrait  was  found 
together  with  one  of  Louis  XV.  dressed  as  a  Carmelite. 

The  Du  Barry  had  various  lodgings  hi  Paris,  where  she 
held  meetings  of  a  crowd  of  emigres  or  of  their  relatives. — 
On  the  Du  Barry's  return,  witness  was  presented  on  March 
26,  1793,  with  an  English  certificate  signed  by  the  Duke  of 
Queensberry,  a  great  enemy  of  the  Revolution.  On  the 
strength  of  this  certificate  she  made  all  her  requests  for 
passports.  .  .  .  Witness  has  seen  Forth  with,  and 
visiting  the  Du  Barry. — The  general  opinion  of  the  neigh- 
bourhood is  that  the  theft  was  a  feint,  and  that,  further, 
the  theft,  whether  real  or  not,  was  used  as  an  excuse  by 
Forth. — Another  fact  is  that  the  diamonds  were  sent  to 
Holland  in  November,  1790,  and  came  back  in  January, 
1791. — The  Du  Barry  received  Forth  in  July,  1792. — Several 
letters  from  Forth  were  found  in  her  house,  one  of  which  was 
defaced. — She  declared  in  her  examination  that  her  law- 
suit was  over,  after  her  return  in  March,  1793.  Why  then 


320  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

did  the  certificate  say  she  was  compelled  to  return  to 
England  ? 

Here  the  accused  protested.  "  The  Du  Barry,"  wrote 
Fouquier-Tinville,  "  said  it  was  for  receiving  her  diamonds 
and  paying  expenses." 

After  Greive,  his  colleague,  Xavier  Audoin,  was  called  to 
give  evidence  on  the  search  carried  out  at  Louveciennes 
after  August  10  :  "  The  house  was  full  of  the  former  noble- 
men of  the  Court ;  one  called  Maussabre  was  seized  in  one 
of  the  accused's  rooms.  .  .  ."  Next,  Blache,  the  man 
who  spied  on  her  in  London,  came  forward  : 

Saw  some  of  the  diamonds  in  England. — Saw  Forth,  the 
English  spy,  and  the  woman  Calonne  get  out  of  a  carriage 
.  .  .  and  the  man  named  Pont,  whom  he  heard  was  an 
ex-Constitutional ;  they  went  into  the  Du  Barry's  house,  and 
a  moment  afterwards  all  four  came  out  and  got  into  Calonne's 
carriage. — During  her  second  stay  in  London  she  lived  at 
Westminster,  in  a  house  hired  by  the  Abbe  Saint-Phar  for 
Bouille,  the  Princess  d'He'nin,  Bertrand  de  Molleville,  the 
Minister  for  the  Navy,  the  Duchess  de  Mortemart,  Breteuil 
and  other  tmigris. — In  January,  1793,  they  heard  of  Louis 
Capet's  death  ;  French  patriots  were  molested,  insulted  and 
driven  away. — The  Du  Barry,  while  in  London,  went  into 
mourning  when  the  death  of  the  former  King  became  known. 
Shortly  after,  Brissot  declared  war  on  England. — On  one  of 
her  journeys,  made  the  wife  of  the  former  Duke  d'Aiguillon 
emigrate  with  her. 

Blache  brought  together  numerous  petty  details,  spoke 
of  his  visits  to  Louveciennes,  his  suppers  with  Salanave  and 
Fremont,  the  gardener,  whom  the  accused  had  dismissed  as 
a  patriot,  of  the  favours  the  accused  was  said  to  have 
obtained  from  La  Vallery,  of  the  counter-revolutionary 
activities  of  Morin.  .  .  .  How  often  the  poor  woman 
must  have  wanted  to  interrupt  to  defend  herself  and  con- 
found her  accusers  !  Then  she  was  questioned  by  Dumas. 
Though  agitated  at  being  taken  unawares,  she  soon  regained 
her  composure  and,  after  her  first  reply,  showed  as  much 
cunning  and  intelligence  as  the  President  himself.  But 
the  evidence  was  against  her. 


AN    UNFORTUNATE    WITNESS  321 

Silence  reigned  among  the  interested  spectators.  Among 
their  crowded  ranks,  perhaps,  there  was  one  who  would  take 
to  the  unhappy  Rohan-Chabot  the  last  words  of  his  mistress ; 
perhaps  the  Countess  knew,  and  was  thereby  inspired  with 
the  courage  that  she  needed  to  keep  her  from  giving  way. 

Meanwhile  Fouquier-Tinville  continued  to  take  his  notes  : 

The  Du  Barry  asserts  that  her  third  journey  was  under- 
taken in  order  to  set  Forth  at  liberty,  he  having  been  ar- 
rested in  consequence  of  an  action  brought  against  him  by 
the  thieves. — The  Du  Barry  saw  the  woman  Calonne  in 
London.  She  admits  it,  but  denies  having  kept  up  corres- 
pondence with  others,  except  the  woman  Mortemart,  with 
whom  the  correspondence  was  merely  that  of  friendship. — 
The  Du  Barry  admits  having  worn  black  for  the  tyrant, 
but  asserts  that  she  never  wore  anything  else. — The  Du 
Barry  admits  having  petitioned  on  behalf  of  La  Bondie 
who  was  arrested  at  her  house  as  a  suspect. — The  Du  Barry 
asserts  that  she  obtained  certificates  of  residence,  as  she 
had  always  resided  in  France. — The  Du  Barry  asserts  that 
she  received  some  petitions  connected  with  the  formation 
of  the  last  guard  of  the  former  King,  but  that  she  had  not 
in  any  way  influenced  the  nominations.  .  .  . 

Escourre,  who  was  imprisoned  in  La  Force,  was  called 
to  give  evidence  on  the  subject  of  the  loans  which  he  had 
negotiated.  But  he  was  confused  in  his  explanations, 
faltered,  and  contradicted  himself,  and,  in  spite  of  his 
devotion  to  the  Countess,  did  her  nothing  but  injury. 
Fouquier  rose,  demanded  an  official  report  of  the  tergiversa- 
tions of  the  witness,  and  ordered  that  he  should  be  forth- 
with conducted  to  La  Conciergerie,  "  as  charged  with  perjury 
and  complicity  hi  a  criminal  and  counter-revolutionary 
intercourse."  It  was  equivalent  to  his  death-sentence.1 

After  this  incident,  unfavourable  to  the  accused,  the  pro- 
cession of  witnesses  was  continued.  First  came  Salanave, 
who  declared  that  he  had  always  been  looked  on  unfavour- 

1  D'Escourre  was  condemned  on  the  2ist  Frimaire  (December 
ii,  1793),  and  executed  the  same  day.  The  documents  connected 
with  his  trial  are  analysed  by  Vatel ;  they  refer  to  a  letter  to  Rohan- 
Chabot,  of  which  the  original  has  been  preserved  in  Madame  Du 
Barry's  dossier. 

x 


322  A   KING'S   FAVOURITE 

ably  in  the  house  of  the  accused,  where  all  the  other  servants 
were  "  aristocrats  "  ;  he  gave  a  list  of  those  who  were 
frequent  visitors  at  Louveciennes  :  La  Vaupaliere,  Brissac, 
La  Bondie,  Escourre,  "  a  former  Marquis  Donnissan,  a 
former  Viscount  De  Pont,  the  woman  Bandeville,  the  woman 
Brunoy,  formerly  Marquise  ;  the  former  Duchess  Brancas, 
the  former  Chevalier  MaussabreV' 

A  discussion  took  place  on  De  Pont,  whom  the  accused 
denied  having  seen  in  England  :  "  Blache  insisted  that  she 
had,  and  stated  that  De  Pont  was  the  man  who  provided 
Burke,  the  author  of  the  diatribe  against  the  Constitution  of 
1791,  with  information."  Zamore  was  called ;  Greive  had 
mentioned  him  as  one  of  the  chief  witnesses.1  He  only  gave 
evidence  on  matters  that  were  already  known  ;  in  particu- 
lar he  wanted  to  establish  the  improbability  of  the  diamond 
robbery : 

Witness  considers  the  diamond  robbery  an  invention. 
The  diamonds  were  kept  in  a  cabinet  that  served  as  a  vestibule 
to  a  room  (sic).  It  was  announced  that  the  thieves  entered 
from  the  garden  by  means  of  a  broken  window,  and  no  other 
damage  had  been  observed  except  for  some  rails  that  had 
been  wrenched.  Knows  that  the  most  valuable  things  were 
kept  in  the  Du  Barry's  room.  Witness  believes  that  the 
theft  was  not  real.  .  .  . 

Henriette  Couture,  the  young  waiting-woman,  was  in 
mortal  fear  of  being  compromised ;  she  falteringly  admitted 

1  Zamore's  treachery  did  not  prevent  his  being  suspected  and  im- 
prisoned in  his  turn.  Greive  intervened  by  means  of  a  letter  to 
Fouquier-Tinville,  asking  for  the  release  of  "  our  virtuous  Zamore, 
that  child  of  Nature,  that  apostle  of  Liberty,  that  worthy  pupil  of 
the  immortal  Jean- Jacques,  who  has  been  torn  from  his  duties  as 
Secretary  to  the  Revolutionary  Committee  of  Versailles,  where  he 
had  found  a  refuge  from  the  Du  Barry's  atrocious  persecution  of 
him  on  account  of  his  patriotism."  "  You  have  seen  him,"  wrote 
Greive,  referring  to  the  trial  of  Frimaire,  "  you  have  heard  this 
interesting  person  who,  torn  from  the  bosom  of  his  family  at  the  age 
of  four,  and  brought  to  Europe  to  become  the  toy  of  a  crapulous 
tyrant's  vile  mistress,  was  yet  able  ...  to  escape  all  the  cor- 
ruption of  an  infamous  Court,  and  show  himself  the  ardent  supporter 
of  the  Republic,  even  as  early  as  1789  !  .  .  .  Oh  1  if  you  only 
knew  our  good  Zamore  I  Ask  what  the  patriots  of  the  Caf6  Procope 
think  of  him,  where  he  is  respected  by  all  who  are  worthy  of  respect." 


FOUQUIER'S   SPEECH  323 

that  accused  had  spent  the  night  after  Brissac's  arrest  in 
burning  papers. 

Another  of  her  women,  Henriette  Roussel  ("  a  medium 
figure,  pock-marked,"  wrote  Fouquier),  said  that  Forth 
"  returned  on  the  second  journey  "  ;  she  affirmed  that  her 
mistress  always  took  black  dresses  to  London,  "  and  a  few 
white  ones."  Devray,  the  surgeon,  confirmed  the  destruc- 
tion of  papers  ;  Founder,  justice  of  the  peace  for  the  district 
of  Marly,  gave  evidence  on  the  articles  found  in  Madame  Du 
Barry's  house,  and  "  recognised  a  portion  of  those  announced 
as  stolen  and  described  in  the  printed  list."  The  accused 
insisted  that  these  articles  had  been  returned  to  Monsieur  de 
Brissac,  who  gave  a  reward  of  a  hundred  louis.  When  again 
questioned  on  some  points,  she  "  could  not  say  how  much 

money  she  had  spent  in  London  and  supplied  to  the  emigres 
» 

The  president  proceeded  next  to  examine  the  Vandeny- 
vers  ;  they  had  to  answer  as  to  Madame  Du  Barry's  affairs, 
the  letters  of  credit  they  had  given  her,  the  loans  she  had 
made  through  their  instrumentality,  and  as  to  their  personal 
relations  with  Calonne  and  the  Tuileries.  Interest  in  the 
examination  was  at  an  end,  for  the  bankers  were  sure  to 
share  the  fate  of  their  customer. 

Fouquier-Tinville  rose  to  make  the  judicial  address.  In 
order  that  it  should  be  worthy  of  the  trial  of  the  "  infamous 
conspirator  "  he  had  prepared  his  exordium  and  peroration 
with  care.  The  rough  drafts,  which  are  full  of  erasures, 
have  been  kept  in  the  dossier,  and  the  revolutionary  orator 
may  easily  be  recognised  in  its  turgid  phrases  and  its  flood 
of  hyperboles  : 

Exordium. 

Citizen  Jurymen, 

You  have  pronounced  judgment  on  the  plots  of  the 
wife  of  the  last  tyrant  who  ruled  the  French  ;  you  are  now 
asked  to  pronounce  judgment  on  the  conspiracies  of  the 
courtesan  of  his  infamous  predecessor.  You  see  before  you 
this  Lais,  so  celebrated  for  her  dissolute  morals,  for  the 
publicity  and  parade  of  her  debauchery,  whose  licentiousness 
alone  empowered  her  to  share  the  life  of  a  despot,  who 


324  A    KING'S    FAVOURITE 

sacrificed  the  wealth  and  blood  of  his  people  to  the  satisfac- 
tion of  his  shameful  pleasures.     The  scandal,  the  ignominy 
of  her  elevation  to  power,  are  not  what  should  engage  your 
attention,  nor  the  turpitude  and  shame  of  her  infamous 
prostitution.     You  are  here  to  decide  whether  this  Messalina, 
born  of  the  people,  enriched  and  covered  with  the  spoils  of 
the  people,  who  paid  for  the  indignity  of  her  looseness  of 
morals,  and  deprived  by  the  death  of  the  tyrant  of  the  rank 
which  crime  alone  had  given  her,  whether  she  conspired 
against  the  liberty  and  sovereignty  of  the  people  ;  whether, 
after  being  the  accomplice  and  instrument  of  the  licentious- 
ness of  kings,  she  has  become  the  tool  of  tyrants,  nobles  and 
priests  in  their  conspiracies  against  the  Revolution.     Citizen 
jurymen,  the  examining  of  the  witnesses  has  already  thrown 
the  clearest  light  on  these  conspiracies.     From  the  evidence 
and  documents  produced  you  must  have  realised  some  of 
the  extent  of  this  vast  plot,  these  execrable  machinations, 
hitherto  unexampled  in  the  annals  of  the  people.     Never, 
indeed,  has  a  more  important  case  been  submitted  to  you 
for  decision,  since  to  a  certain  degree  it  gives  you  the  clue  to 
the  intrigues  of  Pitt  and  all  his  accomplices  against  France. 
You  are  asked  to  bear  in  mind  all  the  details  of  this  plot, 
and  of  the  part  the  courtesan  of  despots  and  her  accomplices 
have  taken  in  it. 

Peroration. 

Such,  citizen  jurymen,  are  the  results  of  the  examinations 
that  have  taken  place.  It  is  for  you  to  weigh  them,  in  your 
wisdom.  You  see  that  Royalists  and  Federalists  and  all 
these  factions,  though  apparently  divided  among  themselves, 
have  yet  the  same  head,  the  same  purpose,  the  same  end  in 
view.  The  war  against  other  nations,  the  rising  in  the 
Vendee,  the  disturbances  in  the  South,  the  insurrection  of 
Calvados,  all  are  inspired  by  the  same  principle,  and  have 
the  same  chiefs,  d'Artois  and  Pethion ;  all  are  directed  by 
Pitt,  and  if,  hitherto,  we  have,  so  to  speak,  only  raised  the 
veil  cloaking  so  much  villainy,  we  can  say  to-day  that  it 
has  been  completely  torn  asunder,  and  naught  remains 
to  the  conspirators  but  shame  and  the  punishment  of  their 
infamous  plots.  Yea,  Frenchmen,  we  swear  it,  the  traitors 
shall  perish,  and  liberty  alone  be  upheld.  She  has  resisted, 
and  will  ever  resist  all  attempts  of  the  united  despots,  of 
heir  slaves,  their  priests,  their  infamous  courtesans.  The 


SENTENCED   TO   DEATH  325 

people  will  fell  to  the  ground  all  her  enemies,  all  this  horde 
of  brigands  leagued  against  her.  With  the  riches  she 
acquired  by  her  debauchery,  the  infamous  conspirator 
before  you  could  live  in  the  heart  of  a  country  that  appeared 
to  have  buried  with  the  tyrant,  whose  worthy  companion 
she  was,  every  memory  of  her  prostitution  and  of  the  scandal 
of  her  elevation  to  power.  But  the  liberty  of  the  people 
was  a  crime  hi  her  eyes  ;  she  wanted  them  enslaved  and 
cringing  under  masters,  she  wanted  the  best  part  of  their 
substance  to  be  devoted  to  the  payment  of  her  pleasures. 
She  is  an  example,  which  goes  with  many  others  to  prove 
more  and  more  conclusively  that  licentiousness  and  loose- 
ness of  morals  are  the  greatest  enemies  of  the  liberty  and 
happiness  of  the  people.  In  striking  with  the  sword  of 
justice  a  Messalina,  guilty  of  conspiring  against  her  country, 
you  will  not  only  avenge  the  Republic  for  her  outrages 
against  the  law,  but  you  will  destroy  a  public  scandal,  and 
strengthen  the  empire  of  morality,  which  is  the  chief  founda- 
tion of  the  empire  of  the  people. 

The  envenomed  verbiage  of  the  Public  Prosecutor  added 
nothing  to  the  conviction  of  the  jury  that  they  had  already 
formed  on  the  evidence  ;  nor  was  it  shaken  by  the  defending 
advocates,  whose  speeches  followed.  Madame  Du  Barry 
was  defended  by  Chauveau-Lagarde,  who  had  done  the 
same  for  Marie  Antoinette.  Dumas  summed  up  the  case  ; 
the  jury  went  out,  and  returned  with  a  reply  in  the 
affirmative  to  all  the  questions.  It  was  eleven  o'clock 
at  night  when  the  accused  were  brought  back  to  hear  their 
sentence  : 

In  view  of  the  certainty  of  the  fact  that  machinations 
have  been  practised  and  communications  maintained  with 
the  enemies  of  the  State  and  their  agents  to  induce  them  to 
engage  in  hostilities,  to  point  out  and  support  the  means  of 
undertaking  these  hostilities  and  directing  them  against 
France,  notably  by  making  several  journeys  abroad  on 
carefully  prepared  pretexts,  in  order  to  concert  these  hostile 
schemes  with  their  enemies,  by  providing  them  or  their 
agents  with  pecuniary  aid  ; 

Jeanne  Vaubernier,  wife  of  Du  Barry,  resident  at  Luciennes, 
formerly  a  courtesan,  is  convicted  of  being  one  of  the 


326  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

authors  or  accomplices  of  the  said  machinations  and  com- 
munications ; 

Jean-Baptiste  Vandenyver,  Dutch  banker,  domiciled  in 
Paris,  Edme- Jean-Baptiste  Vandenyver,  banker  in  Paris, 
and  Antoine-Augustin  Vandenyver,  banker  in  Paris,  are 
convicted  of  being  accomplices  to  the  said  machinations 
and  communications ; 

Having  heard  the  Public  Prosecutor's  conclusions  as  to 
the  application  of  the  law : 

The  said  Jeanne  Vaubernier,  wife  of  Du  Barry,  the  said 
J.  B.  Vandenyver,  E.-J.-B.  Vandenyver  and  A.-A.  Vandeny- 
ver are  condemned  to  suffer  the  penalty  of  death.1 

The  unhappy  woman,  whose  spirit  was  already  broken  by 
the  long  days  of  suspense  through  which  she  had  passed, 
fainted  away.  The  gendarmes  took  her  back  to  her  dungeon, 
and  the  night  of  misery  that  followed  may  be  imagined.  In 
the  morning  her  hair  was  cut  short,  and  she  was  dressed  in 
the  robe  of  the  condemned.  She  asked  to  be  heard  once  more, 
no  doubt  in  order  to  gain  time  and  make  another  attempt 
to  buy  her  life.2  Placed  between  two  gratings  in  the  Con- 
ciergerie,  she  declared  she  had  buried  in  her  garden  or  handed 
to  her  servants  a  gold  service,  jewel-boxes,  diamond  chains, 
rings,  portraits  of  Louis  XV.,  miniatures  of  a  woman, 
crested  plate,  "  two  Turkish  daggers  set  with  rubies  and 
other  precious  stones.  .  .  ."3 

1  As  soon  as  the  decree  was  issued,  on  the  ijth  Frimaire,  Fouquier 
gave  his  orders  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the  Parisian  armed 
forces  with  regard  to  the  execution,  which  was  fixed  for  "  eleven 
o'clock  in  the  morning  "  of  the  following  day  in  the  Place  de  la 
Revolution. 

*  Lafont  d'Aussonne  has  told  that  she  received  promises  of  pardon 
if  she  would  point  out  where  her  treasures  were  hidden,  a  story  that 
does  not  seem  unlikely.     Thence  her  resistance  and  cries  at  the 
end  ;  she  must  have  believed  that  she  was  being  taken  to  the  scaffold 
"  in  haste  and  by  mistake."     Prudhomme  almost  admits  that  this 
was  the  case.     "  As  long  as  the  woman  hoped  to  buy  her  life  by 
restoring  her  property  to  the  Nation,  her  manner  was  quite  composed 
and  strong."     She  had  therefore  been  allowed  to  cherish  such  a 
hope. 

*  She   mentioned,    as  having  been    hidden  in  Morin's  garden, 
"  eleven  bags  of  twelve  hundred  livres,  forty  double  louis  brought 
back  from  London  on  her  last  journey,  a  gold -mounted  tortoiseshell 


THE   JOURNEY   TO   THE   SCAFFOLD        327 

In  enumerating  this  hidden  treasure,  her  memory,  under 
the  influence  of  the  excitement  of  the  moment,  was  marvel- 
lously sure  ;  but  it  is  not  true  that  in  order  to  save  her  own 
life,  she  sold  those  of  others.1  No  document  gives  evidence 
of  such  a  deed.  If  she  mentioned  the  woman  Deliant  and 
Denis  Morin  as  those  entrusted  with  the  treasure,  on  the 
other  hand  she  took  all  responsibility  for  their  actions 
upon  herself.  Morin  said  so  himself  when  he  made  his  own 
declaration  as  to  the  things  confided  to  his  care  :  "I  only 
acted  on  Madame's  orders."2 

These  revelations  by  Madame  Du  Barry  postponed  the 
execution.  Not  till  half-past  four  in  the  afternoon  was  she 
placed  in  the  tumbril  with  the  three  Vandenyvers.  It  was 
the  i8th  day  of  Frimaire  in  the  year  II.  (December  8, 
1793),  and  night  was  falling.  The  convoy  passed  fairly 
quickly  through  the  badly-lighted  streets  of  old  Paris  ; 
it  was  bitterly  cold,  and  this  prevented  a  crowd  from 
gathering.  Thus  it  is  scarcely  probable  that  the  poor 
woman's  pallor  could  have  been  distinguished,  or  the  encour- 
aging words  of  the  elder  Vandenyver  have  been  heard.  She 
was  prostrate  on  the  bench,  completely  broken  down,  as 
were  so  many  others  when  taken  to  the  guillotine.3  Though 

box  set  with  a  portrait  of  Marie  Antoinette  by  Sauvage.  .  .  ." 
She  finally  offered  to  write  to  London  for  the  objects  of  the  famous 
robbery,  "  if  such  were  the  pleasure  of  the  Tribunal."  The  long 
declaration  was  received  in  proper  order  by  the  Judge  Denizot  and 
the  Public  Prosecutor's  deputy,  and  taken  down  by  the  clerk 
Tavernier,  who  was  said  to  have  spent  no  less  than  three  hours 
on  the  task.  The  original  was  found  by  Vatel  in  Denis  Morin's 
dossier,  where  it  had  been  put  by  Fouquier-Tinville. 

1  Louis  Blanc  puts  the  number  of  the  victims  of  Madame  Du 
Barry's  supposed  denunciations  as  high  as  two  hundred  and  forty  ! 

1  Madame  Du  Barry's  declaration  scarcely  added  to  the  grave 
charges  already  levelled  against  Morin.  He  was  arrested  during  the 
hearing  of  Escourre's  trial,  sentenced  on  December  23,  at  the  same 
time  as  La  Bondie,  and  executed  with  him  on  the  same  day. 

*  "  She  went  to  her  execution  already  half -dead,"  wrote  Prudhomme 
"  so  much  did  the  thought  of  death  alarm  her."  The  evidence  col- 
lected by  Vatel  shows  that  such  a  state  of  weakness  was  frequent 
in  those  condemned.  As  an  instance,  take  the  very  impartial  ob- 
servation of  Restif  de  la  Bretonne  :  "I  have  constantly  remarked 
that,  with  the  exception  of  Marianne-Charlotte,  all  thinking  beings 


328  A    KING'S   FAVOURITE 

the  majority  died  bravely,  some  were  betrayed  by  weakness 
and  broke  down  utterly  at  the  foot  of  the  scaffold. 

In  order  to  make  her  get  down,  the  assistant  executioner 
had  to  take  her  in  his  arms  and  carry  her  to  the  guillotine.1 
Then  at  last  she  was  roused  from  her  torpor,  and  "  uttered  a 
terrible  cry,"  a  long,  inhuman  shriek,  the  outpouring  of  her 
agony  and  terror.  Reflections  have  been  cast  on  her  for 
this  passionate  revolt,  this  anguish  of  spirit,  yet  her  death 
seems  a  sacrifice.  Though  her  frail,  womanly  nerves  could 
not  bear  the  sight  of  the  instruments  of  death,  yet  may  not 
a  little  pity  be  granted  to  her  tortured  body,  a  gentle  word 
to  her  memory  ? 

"  Elmire  will  have  no  cause  to  fear  the  judgment  of 
posterity,"  wrote  Choderlos  de  Laclos  in  the  graceful  portrait 
that  he  drew  of  Madame  Du  Barry ;  and  no  doubt  he 
wrote  thus  because  he  recognised  in  her  besides  the  attraction 
of  mind  and  heart,  all  the  charm  of  beauty.  "  From  her 
magnificent  hair  with  its  beautiful  colour,  down  to  her  feet 
that  were  as  if  modelled  by  the  hands  of  the  Graces,  she 
seemed  the  very  personification  of  that  beautiful  ideal  which 
the  Greeks  have  preserved  in  their  immortal  works."  If 
she  "  was  not  a  Vestal,"  said  Mirabeau  one  day, 

"  The  fault  was  the  gods',  who  made  her  so  fair." 

who  go  to  meet  their  death  are  already  half-dead."     That  there 
were  other  illustrious  exceptions  is  well  known. 

1  See  the  Count  d'Espinchal's  account,  published  in  the  Revue 
retrospective  for  1887,  Vol.  VI.,  p.  205.  Details  as  to  her  cries 
were  given  by  the  paper,  Le  Glaive  Vengeur,  which  contrasted  them 
with  the  courage  of  the  Vandenyvers.  The  Revolutions  de  Paris 
gloated  at  length  on  the  agony  of  the  "  Prostitute,"  and  recalled,  in 
the  coarse  language  of  the  day,  the  notorious  anecdotes  about  "  the 
last  but  one  of  our  tyrants."  The  next  day  one  of  the  most  infam- 
ous pamphlets  of  the  period  appeared  :  The  Descent  of  the  Dubarry 
to  the  infernal  regions;  her  reception  at  the  Court  of  Pluto  by  the 
woman  Capet  .  .  .  cackling  of  the  two  strumpets.  The  pamphlet 
was  the  last  to  insult  the  memory  of  Marie-Antoinette. 


INDEX 


ADELAIDE,  MADAME,  sister  of  Louis 
XV.,  2,  30,  48,  67,  76,  77,  101, 
107,  no,  119,  123,  154,  171 

Adolphus  Frederick  of  Sweden, 
death  of,  93 

Aiguillon,  Duchess  d',  31,  65,  80, 
94,  102,  105,  in,  130,  134,  139, 
142,  145,  164,  173,  184,  209,  211, 
212,  282 

Aiguillon,  Duke  d',  56,  59,  60,  66, 

69,  71,  72,  73,  74,  75,  76,  77,  7^, 
80,  81,  91,  92,  93,  100,  101,  105, 
106,  in,  115,  116,  117,  123,  131, 
!33,  134,  138,  140,  143,  144,  145, 
153,  155,  163,  167,  168,  169, 
172,  188,  206,  211,  223,  237,  305, 
320 

Albane,  195 

Alembert,  d',  129 

Allegrain,  199,  200 

Almanach  des  Flores,  164 

de  Liege,  164 

des  Muses,  164 

Amar,  299 

Angiviller,  Madame  d',  244,  251 
Angiviller,  Mons.  d',  200,  262,  263 
Angremont,  d',  306 
Arcambal,  Marquis  d',  18,  195 
Argental,  d',  137 
Armaille,  Marquis  d',  230 
Arnaud,  Abbe,  17,  129 
Arnould,  Sophie,  138,  203 
Artois,  Count  d',  67,  128,  147,  157, 

159,  201,  215,  253,  263,  324 
Artois,  Countess  d',  159 
Attilly,  Mons.  d',  284 
Aubert,  159,  208 
Audinot,  127,  128 
Audoin,  Xavier,  320 
Augustin,  Coachman  to  Mdme.  Du 

Barry,  272 

Aumont,  Le  Due  d',  68,  69,  82 
Aumont,  Mdlle.  d',  146 
Aussonne,  Lafont  d',  250 
Auteuil,  Maltre  Le  Pot  d',  207,  208 

BACH  AUMONT,  213 


Bailly,  Mons.,  262 
Bairbon-Busset,  Madame,  159 
Barghon-Monteil,  Marion  de,  250 
Banville,  Madame  de,  267 
Barre,  La,  96 

Barry,    Adolphe     (Viscount)     Du, 
33,  48,   59,   122,    128,   150,   151, 

163,    206,    214,    222,   223 

Barry,  Antoine,  Du,  14,  23 
Barry,     Chevalier    Nicholas    Elie, 

Du,  155 
Barry,  Mdlle.  Claire-Fran9oise  Du, 

("Chon"),   27,   65,   72,   88,   91, 

102,  122,   144,   145,   157,  2O6,  214, 
222,  290 

Barry,    Guillaume,    Count   Du,    3, 

14,  23,  123,  124,  205 
Barry,   Helene,   (Viscountess),  DUJ 

151,  152,  206,  222,  223,  224 
Barry,     Jean,     Count     Du     (The 

Roue),  11-26,  44,  59,  85,  87,  102, 

103,  151,  152,  205,  224,  252 
Barry,  Jeanne  Vaubernier,  Madame 

Du,  Presentation,  1-3 

her  birth  and  parentage,  3,  4 

at  convent  school,  5 

as  lady's  companion,  7 

as  milliner,  8 

at  Versailles,  the  King's  mis- 
tress, 21 

her  marriage,  23-25 

at  court,  26 

pamphlets  against  her,  28 

hostility  of  the  Choiseuls,  30 

animosity  of  "  Mesdames,"  30 

• the  "  Barriens,"  32 

Court  presentation,  35 

accompanies    the     King     to 

Choisy,  40 

performance  of  dramas,  41 

her  toilette,  41 

instructed    by    the    King    in 

astronomy,  42 

secures  reprieve  for  peasant 

girl,  42 

and  Count  LouSsme  and  wife, 

43 


329 


330 


INDEX 


Barry,  Madame  Du,  continued  acts 
of  humanity,  44 

Court  at  Compiegne,  45 

Court  ladies'  animosity,  46 

gift  of  the  Chateau  of  Louve- 

ciennes,  46 

vindictive  epigrams  and  lam- 
poons, 48 

at  Chantilly,  53 

Drouais,  two  portraits  at  the 

Louvre,  53 

seeks  for  Voltaire's  recall,  56 

at  Fontainbleau,  58 

insult  by  Lauraguais,  58,  60 

gains  reprieve  for  deserter,  61 

"  loges  de  Nantes  "  anecdote, 

63 

arrival  of  Archduchess  Marie 

Antoinette,  67,  69 

Racine's  Athalie,  69 

fireworks  tragedy,  70 

the  Breton  Parliament,  71 

the  Duke  d'Aiguillon,  71-73 

Chancellor  Maupeou,  73 

the  King's  letter  to  Choiseul, 


75 

the  Court  at  Marly,  76,  77 

the  Dauphine's  hostility,  77-78 

at  Choisy,  78 

banishment    of    Duchess    de 

Gramont,  78 

Richelieu   and   Choiseul   dis- 
pute, 79 

agitation  in  Brittany,  80 

Maupeou     and     the     Parlia- 
ments, 80 

at  Fontainebleau,  81 

interest  in  politics,  82 

new  frocks,  84 

supporters  overthrow  Choiseul, 

84-88 

his  banishment,  89,  90 

wish  to  fill  the  Council,  91 

Count  de  Gothland,  92 

Gustavus  III.,  93,  95 

Versailles  coup  d'ttat,  96 

aversion  to  the  Dauphine,  97, 

98 

marriage  of  Count  de  Prov- 
ence, 99 

d'Aiguillon's   elevation,  101 

—  the  Roue's  importunities,  102, 

i°3 

—  return  of  Gustavus  III.,  104 

—  grievances  against  the  Dau- 
phine; 106 

—  at  cards  with  her,  107 


Barry,  Madame  Du,  Maria  Theresa's 
letter  to  the  Dauphine,  108 

empty  frame  at  the  Salon,  109 

Royal    family    refuse    peace, 

no,  112 

Choiseul    further     disgraced, 

114 

generous    intervention,     115, 

116,  117 

ascendancy    over    the    king, 

118,  119,  120,  121 

the  King's  health,  122 

petition  to  the  Pope  to  annul 

marriage,  123 

increased  taxes,  127 

death  of  Duchess  d'Aiguillon, 


130 

—  tragic  development  of  Polish 
affairs,  131-134 

The  Authentic  Memoirs,    135 

—  ffrte  in  her  honour,  137 
performance  of    Tom   Jones, 


140 


143 


the  Dauphine's  cold  reception, 


Mdlle.  Rancourt,  144 

carnival  at  Versailles,  144-147 

Sauvigny's    La    Parnasse   dn 

Dames,  149 

—  gifts  to  Adolphe  Du  Barry, 

—  plays  at  Fontainebleau,  157, 
158,  159 

- —  prediction   of   the   Almanach 
de  Liege,  164 

—  blackmailed  by  Thevenau  de 
Morande,  166 

—  the  King  ill  with  smallpox, 


171 


his  death,  173 

her  patronage    of    the  Arts, 

I75;i?7 

jewels,  179 

—  dress,  180-184 

—  literature,  185 

—  Chateau      of      Louveciennes 
affords  scope  to  her  originality, 
185-6 

—  paintings,  etc.,  187-200 

—  attempt  to  abolish  the  tax  on 
the  poor,  201 

—  the  stage,  202,  203 

—  imprisoned    at    Pont-aux- 
Dames,  204 

—  her  creditors,  208 

—  she  regains  her  liberty,  211 

—  at  Saint- Vrain,  212 


INDEX 


331 


Barry,   Madame    Du,   Mayrobert's 
scandalous  pamphlet,  213 

her     liberty     obtained,     at- 
tempted    assassination,    returns 
to  Louveciennes,  214-216 

visit  of  the  Emperor  of  Austria 

(The     Count     de     Falkenstein), 
216 

The  English  Spy,  a  "  highly- 
seasoned  "  page,  217 

visit  to  Voltaire,  220,  221 

Henry  Seymour,  224-226 

Saint    Cloud    purchased    for 

the  Queen,  228 

the  Queen's  necklace,  233 

visit  of  Tippoo  Sahib's  envoys, 

237 

death  of  her  mother,  238 

eve  of  the  Revolution,  240 

offer  of  Louveciennes  to  the 

Queen,   250 

robbed  of  her  jewels,  256 

visits  London,  262-266 

at  Louveciennes,  267 

arrest  of  the  King,  268 

of  Brissac,  269 

Royal  family  imprisoned,  273 

Brissac's  bequest,  274 

his  death,  278 

her  fourth  journey  to  London, 

280 

sufferings  of  emigrees,  283 

execution  of  Louis  XVI.,  287 

persuaded  by  Pitt  to  remain 

in  England,  288 

prisoner  at  Louveciennes,  293 

Greive's  address  to  the  Con- 
vention, 295 

liberation,  296 

arrested,  300 

charges  against,  304-309 

defence,  310 

the    Irish    Priest's    offer    to 

rescue,  315 

condemnation,  323 

execution,  327,  328 

Barry,     Marquis     Du,     Conty     d' 

Hargicourt,  206,  226 
Barry  more,  Lord,  262 
Barth61emy,  Abbe,  114 
Earthier,  306 
Basire,  269 

Beam,  Countess  de,  i,  31,  32,  43 
Beaujon,  Mons.,  103,  304 
Beaumarchais,  167 
Beaumelle,  La,  27,  122 
Beauvais,  Abbe  de,  147,  168 


Beauvau,  Prince  de,  64,  115,  128, 
129,  148,  249 

Beauvau,  Princess  de,  39,  66,  80, 
144,  222 

Becu,  Abbe,  4 

Becu,  Anne  (see  Madame  Rancon) 

Becu,  Canon,  4 

Becu,  Fabien,  3 

Beliardi,  Abbe,  240,  290 

Belleval,  Mons.,  de,  60,  227 

Bellot,  Dominique-Benigne,  130 

Berline,  180 

Berry,  Miss,  262 

Bertin,  62,  180 

Berton,  Sieur,  160 

Bertrand,  Monsieur,  267 

Betzy,  niece  to  the  Countess  Du 
Barry,  afterwards  Marquise  de 
Boisseson,  194,  238,  290 

Bignon,  128,  258 

Billard-Dumouceaux,  M.,  4, 124, 125 

Billiardy,  Abbe,  267 

Binet,  Rene,  141 

Birabin,  Jeanne,  godmother  to 
Madame  Du  Barry,  3 

Bissy,  Count  de,  18,  38 

Boileau,  Mons.,  195 

Blache,  262,  293,  299,  304,  305, 
307,  320,  322 

Blackmail  extortion  by  Thevanau 
de  Morande,  166 

Boehmar,  233 

Boisgelin,  Viscount  de,  19 
Boisseson,  Marquis  de,  238,  305 
Boisseson,  Marquise  de  (see  Betzy) 
Bondie,  Chev.  de  la,  283,  292,  321, 

322 
Borde,  de  La,  41,   138,   148,   171, 

172,  195,  202,  207 
Bordeu,  170 

Boucher,  187,  189,  193,  196 
Boucher-Saint-Sauveur,  299 
Boufflers,  30 

Bouille,  Marquis  de,  228,  284,  320 
Bouillon,  Duke  de,  173 
Bourdic,  Du,  269,  305 
Bouret,  58 

Boydell,  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  262 
Boynes,  Mons.  de,  95 
Brancas,  Duchess  de,  119,  282,  284- 

285,  305 
Breteuil,  Baron  de,  228-230,  284, 

305,  320 

Breton  Parliament,  The,  71 
Bretonne,  Restif,  de  la,  n 
Briard,  191 
Brionne,  Countess  de,  46,  66,  69 


332 


INDEX 


Brissac,  Duchess  de  Coss6,  139 
Brissac,  Marshal,  Jean-Paul-Timo- 

leon,  Duke  de,  219 

Brissac,     Louis-Hercule  -  Timoleon 

de    Coss6,    Duke    de,   225,   226, 

228,  232,  236,  238,  240,  244,  252, 

261,  266-278,  304,  305,  306,  322 

Brissot,    "  Thedrie    des    lois   cvimi- 

nflles,"  220,  300,  320 
Brochau,  Genee  de,  59 
Broglie,  Count  de,  158,  184 
Broglie,  Countess  de,  69 
Brunoy,  Marquise  de,  236,  252,  304 
Brunswick,  Duke  of,  272 
Buffault,  180,  208,  212,  252 
Burke,  Edmund  ("  Diatribe  against 

the  Constitution  "),  322 
Buteux,  Sieur,  187 

CAFFrfiRI,    J.    J.,    198,    199 

Cagny,  178,  189 

Cahiiet  de  Villers,  Mme.,  218 

Cailhava,  17,  26 

Caillot,  202 

Calas,  96 

Calonne,  227, 229, 230, 262,  263, 265, 

266,  304-305,  320,  321,  323 
Campan,  Madame,  220 
Cantigny  de  (Cantini),  3 
Capet,  Louis,  320 
Cars,  Viscount  des,  38,  148 
Cassanova,  196 

Castres,  Abbe  Sabatier  de,  284 
Catherine  of  Russia,  136,  163,  174 
Caumartin,  258 
Chabrillan,  Countess  de,  69 
Chabrillan,  Mons.  de,  159 
Charpentier,  6 

Chalotais,  Mons.  de  la,  73,  75 
Chamfort,  100,  157 
Chanteloup  (see  Choiseul,  Duke  de) 
Charce,  Mons.  de  La  (de  la  Tour 

du  Pin),  284 
Chardin,  193 
Charles  III.,  86,  91 
Charost,  Bethune,  306,  319 
Chartres,  Duchess  de,  68 
Chartres,  Duke  de,  35,  57,  96,  141, 

213 

Chastellux,  Chevalier  du,  240 
Chateaubriand,  Rene  de,  283 
Chfiteauroux,  Duchess  de  (Madame 

de  La  Tournelle),  72,  122,  152 
Chatelet,  Count  Du,  82,  115,  116 
Chaulnes,  Duchess  de,  162 
Chaulnes,  Duke  de,  56 
Chauvelin,  Marquis  de,  161,  188 


Chaveau-Legarde,  317,  325 
Chavigny,   Mons.   Blot  de,   Bishop 

of  Lomberz,  283 
Cheverny,  230 
Chevreuse,  Duchess  de,  68 
Choiseul,  Duchess    de,  39,  48,  8l, 

III,    112,    114,    121,    149,   215 

Choiseul,  Duke  de,   i,   u,   15,  20, 

31,  35,  37,  38»  39,  45,  48,  49,  5<>> 
51,  52,  56,  61,  62,  63,  65,  67, 
69,  72,  78,  79,  80,  82,  83,  84,  85, 
86,  87,  88,  89,  92,  97,  100,  114, 
115,  116,  126,  131,  150,  155,  161, 
169,  207,  214,  215,  217,  227,  232, 
269 

Chon,  Mdlle.  (see  Claire  Fran9oise 
Du  Barry) 

Clairon,  Mdlle.,  69 

Clairval,  202 

Clermont,  Mdlle.,  47 

Clicot,  183 

Clotilde,  Madame,  148 

Coigny,  De,  128,  304 

Colle,  17 

Colombe,  202 

Conde,  Prince  de,  53,  62,  79,  90, 
91,  96,  141,  263 

Conti,  Prince  de,  95 

Cornillon,  Marguerite  Chouard  de, 
206 

Cosse,  Duke  de  (see  Brissac) 

Cosse,  Duchess  de  (see  Brissac) 

Cosway's  miniature,  266 

Courcelles,  Henriette-Catherine  de, 
206 

Couture,  Henriette,   301,  314,  322 

Coysevox,  200 

Cozette,  189 

Crebillon,  17 

Crequay-Montmorency,  Madame  de, 
300 

Creutz,    Count    de,   93,    120,    136, 
146 

Croy,  Duke  de,  65,  67,  68,  69,  99, 
164,  219,  220 

Cuignet,  Felicite,  130 

Curt,  Mons.  de,  284 

Custine,  de,  313 

DANTON,  277 

Danville,  Duchess  de,  306 

Dauberval,  146 

Dauphin,  The,  2,  48,  67,  98,  too, 

142,  201 

Dauphine  (see  Marie  Antoinette) 
Davaux,  180 
David,  191 


INDEX 


333 


Deffand,  Marquise  du,  7,  32,  56 
66,  80,  gi,  93,  100,  in,  112,  114 
121,  122,  125,  127,  128,  130,  137 
139,  148,  150,  160,  161,  216 

Delay  de  la  Garde,  Madame,  7,  8 

Deliant,  327 

Delille,  Abbe,  128,  129,  148,   188 

195 

Delorge,  137 
Delorrae,  182 
Demange,  Joseph,  godfather  to 

Madame  du  Barry,  3 
Denis,  Madame,  34,  49 
Dervieux,   146 
Desfontaines,  207 
Desf  riches,  194 
Deux-Ponts,  Prince  des,  156 
Devray,  323 
Diderot,  54,  109,  190 
Donnissan,  Marquis  de,  290, 306, 322 
Dorat,  157,  165,  166 
Douin,  Sieur,  164 
Drouais,  F.  H.,  n,  54,  58,  104,  156, 

190,  193,  194 
Drouais,  Madame,  156 
Dubois,  Mdlle.,  202 
Duclos,  128 
Ducreux,  31 
Dugazon,  Madame,  202 
Dumas,     Rene    Francois,     316-18, 

32°.  325 

Dumesnil,  Mdlle.,  202 
Du  Mouriez,  17,  158 
Duplessis,    182,   195 
Duras,  Duke  de,   17,   19,  99,   184, 

201,  202,  203 
Durfort,  Chev.  de,  305 
Durvey,  304 
Duval  d  Epinoy,  Mile.,  7 

EGMONT,  COUNTESS  D',  46,  69,  93, 

104,  105,  161 
Eisen,  185 
Elizabeth,  Archduchess  of  Austria, 

30,  75 

"  Emigres,"  sufferings  of,  283 
"  English,  Spy,  The,"  217 
Entragues,  Marquis  d',  184 
Eon,  Chevaliere  d',  167 
Escars,  Baron  d',  243 
Escourre,  Chevalier    d',   262,   276, 

281,  290,  300,  306,  321,  322 
Esparbes,  Countess  d',  38 
Espinchal,   Count  d',    12,    16,    20, 

222,   233,    241-243,    253-255 

Esprit,  Therese,  206 
Estrade,  Madame  d',  35 


FALKENSTEIN,  COUNT  DE  (see  Joseph 

II.  of  Austria) 

Falkland  Islands,  difference  between 
England    and  Spain,   Choiseul's 
downfall,  86,  87 
Fauchet,  Abbe,  278 
Fauga,  Marquis  de,  212 
Favart,  114,  145 
Favier,  17,  85,  158 
Ferdinand  VI.,  174 
Ferte,  Papillon  de  la,  68,  99,  138, 

140,  145,  157,  201,  202,  203 
Feuillet,  190 
Fitz- James,  Count,  19 
Flamarens,  Madame  de,  277 
Flavacourt,  Madame  de,  39 
Fleury,  Cardinal  de,  45,  97 
Fontanilles,  Abbe  de,  290 
Forcalquier,     Countess     de,     146, 

159,  215 

Forth,  Parker,  the  English  agent, 
259,  260,  261,  262,  266,  288,  305, 
306,  319,  321,  323 
Foulon,  21,  50,  51 
Fournier,  the  American,  276 
Fouquier-Tinville,  316-321,7323-326 
Fortune,  314 
Fragonard,  189,  190,  193 
Francesca,  4 
Frederick    of    Prussia,     131,     136, 

r49,  174 
Fremont,  320 

French  Princes  in  flight,  283 
Freville,  202 
Fronde ville,  314 
Fuentes,  Mons.,  75,  91,  101 
Fumel,  Michele  de,  155 

GABRIEL,  47,  176,  192 
Gabon,  L.,  3 
Gaillard,  99 

Garde,  Madame  de  la,  211 
Garnier-DeschSnes,  23 
Gauthier-Dagoty,  J.  B.  A.,  193 
"  Gazetier  cuirassb,"  108 
Geoffrin,  Madame,  216 
George  III.,  284 
Georgel,  Abbe,  156 
Gessner,  149 
Girondins,  293 

—  death  of,  310 
Gobert,  177 

Goezman,  Councillor,  167 
Golitzyne,  Prince  Dmitri,  169 
Gomard  de  Vaubernier,  Jean  Bap- 

tiste,  3,  4 
Gontaut,  Duke  de,  39 


334 


INDEX 


Goust,  Le,  267 

Gouthiere's  Bronzes,  186,  187,  189, 

190 
Gouy,    Mme.   Du    Barry's    porter, 

299 

Gouy,  Madame  de,  300 
Goy,  17 
Graillet,  Madame  la,  290 

Mons.  le,  305 

Grammont,    Beatrix,    Duchess   de, 

15,  3i,  37,  38,  39,  46 

vindictive  epigrams  and  lam- 
poons, 48,  57,  66,  69 

banishment,  78,  112,  158,  232 


Gravelot,  185 

Greive,  George,  289,  290,  293-300, 

302,  303-310,  318,  319,  320 
Grenier,  262, 
Greuze,  136,  193,  194 
Grimaldi,  Monseigneur  de,  Bishop 

of  Lyons,  194 
Gruel,  1 80 

Guemenee,  Princess  de,  144 
Guibert,  Count  de,  17 
Gustavus  III.  of  Sweden,  92,  93, 

94,  95,  104,  118,   120,   121,   135, 

136,  13? 
Gyac,  162 

HALL,  104,  197 

Halle,  196 

Hargicourt,  Conty  d'  (see  Marquis 

du  Barry) 
Harpe,  La,  148 
Harvelay,  Madame  d',  305 
Hawkesbury,  Lord,  265,  285,  307 
Henin,  Prince  d',  184 
H6nin,  Princess  d',  284,  305,  320 
Hesse-Cassel,    Landgrave    of,    157 
Hobart,  Mrs.,  265 
Hochbrucker,  183 
Hdpital,  Marquise  de  1',  53,  58,  65, 

127 

INVAULT,  MONS.  D',  62 

JAGOT,  312,  314 

Jaucourt,  Marquis  de,  240,  505 

Jeaurat,  Mons.,  195 

Jewels,  theft  of,  256,  262 

Joseph  II.,  of  Austria,  as  Count  de 

Falkenstein,  visits   France,    215, 

216,  217 

Juilhac  de,  281,  290,  306 
Jussieu,  Bernard  de,  176 


Kaunitz,    Prince    de,    33,    35,    89, 
H9,   139 

LABILLE,  8,  10,  n,  12 
Labille-Guiard,  Madame  Adelaide, 

10,  ii 

Laborde,  80 

Lacaze,  Catherine  de,  23 
Laclos,  Choderlos  de,  240,  328 
Lafayette,  304 
I^afleuterie,  317 
Laigle,  Countess  de,  305 
Lally,  43,  96 

Lamballe,  Prince  de,  47,  192 
Lamballe,  Princess  de,  68,  69 
Lametz,  6 

Lametz,  Madame,  6 
Lanoix,  178 

Langle,  Viscount  de,  212,  214 
Laroche,  305 
Laruette,  202 
Lassonne,  170 
Latour,  193 

Lattaignan,  Abbe  de,  30 
Lauraquais,    Mons,    de,   insult    to 

Madame  Du  Barry,  58,  60,  184 
Laval,  Sieur,  157 
Lawreince,  197,  236 
Lazun,  Madame  de,  160 
Lebel,  Mons.,  21 
Lebrun,  Minister  of  Foreign  Affairs, 

281,  282,  308,  309 
Le    Brun,    Vigee     (see    Vigee    Le 

Brun) 

Lebrun,  Topino,  318 
Lecomte,  187,  201 
Leczinska,  Marie,  22,  46,  163,  174, 

177 

Leczinski,  Stanislaus,  4 
Ledoux,  in,  141,  186,  200 
Legarde,  Chauveau,  317,  325 
Legrand,  Mdlle.,  17 
Lekain,  137,  202 
Lemoine,  198,  199 
Lemonnier,  170 
Lepot-d'Auteuil,  Maltre,  104 
Lessart,  Mons.  de,  272 
Liancourt,  Duke  de,  171,  173 
Lieven,  Baron  de,  135,  136 
Ligne,  Prince  de,  26,  210,  307 
Ligniville,  Elizabeth  de,  7 
Linguet,  124 
Lorraine,  Leopold  de,  4 
Lorry,  170 

Louesme,  Count  de,  43 
Loughborough,  Lord,  307 
Louis  XIV.,  123 


INDEX 


335 


Lonis  XV.,  at  Versailles,  i 

at  Court,  26 

at  Choisy,  40 

at  Saint-Hubert,  41 

at  Marly,  42 

at  Compiegne,  46 

letter     of      admonition 


to 


Choiseul,  50 

—  reply,  51 

—  at  Chantilly,  53 

—  at  Fontainebleau,  56 

—  letter  to  Choiseul,  75 

—  at  Choisy,  77 

—  at  Compiegne,  78 
Choiseul's  fidelity  doubted,  79 
surprise  visit  to  Parliament, 


80 


Choiseul  banished,  89 

—  Charles  III.,  his  letter,  91 

—  Cabinet  at  Versailles,  92 

—  Gustavus  III.,  his  letter,  95 

—  d'Aiguillon's    elevation,     101 

—  Choiseul's    further    disgrace, 
114 

—  the  favourite's  generous  inter- 
vention, 115,  116 

—  Mme.  Du  Barry's  ascendancy 
over  the  King,  118, 119,  120, 121 

—  at  Neuilly,  137 

—  his  melancholy,  157 

—  his  illness,  171 

—  death,  173 

exile  of  Madame  Du   Barry 


decreed  on  his  deathbed,  205 
Louis  XVI.,  Aversion  to  Choiseul, 
207,  209 

liberty   granted   to   Madame 

Du  Barry,  214 

dominated  by  his  Queen,  215 

arrest  of,  268 

complicity  in  Brunswick  mani- 
festo, 273 

execution,  287 


Louis  XVII.,  287 
Louveciennes,  the  Chateau  of,  46 
the  White  Villa  of  the  Gar- 
dens,   185-203 

Lubomirska,  Princess,  290,  293,  314 
Luc,  Count  de,  150 
Lukerque,  Lefebvre  de,  250 
Luxemburg,  Madame  de,  114,  183 
Luynes,  Duke  de,  191 
Luzerne,  Marquis  de  la,  259 

MAINTENON  DE,  76,  123 
Malause,  14 
Malesherbes,  Mons  de,  13 


Mandeville,  Mons.  de,  42 

Marat,   258,  290 

March,  William  Douglas,  3rd  Earl 
of,  afterwards  Duke  of  Queens- 
berry,  1 8,  19,  285,  290,  307 

Marche,  Count  de  la,  39, 95, 130, 141 

Marche,  Mons.  de  la,  Bishop  of  St.- 
Pol-de-Leon,  283 

Maria  Theresa,  30,  79,  86,  98,  99, 
101,  106,  107,  108,  118,  119,  132, 

133.  i34»  I4°»  M3,  i48i  I52,  163, 
205,  216 

Marie  Antoinette,  Archduchess, 
Dauphine,  66,  67,  76,  77,  78,  79, 
81,  97,  98,  100,  101,  102,  104- 
108,  no,  118,  120,  133,  134,  135, 

139,  141,  142,  143,  148,  152,  153, 

159,  162,  163,  164,  205,  207,  211, 

215,  227,  228,  310 
Marie-Therese  of  Savoy,  147,  158 
Marigny,  32,  176,  187,  194 
Marin,  17 

Marmontel,  112,  129,  202 
Marot,  185 

Marsan,  Madame  de,  35,  140 
Martiniere,  La,  170 
Masse,  Portraits  by,  196,  257 
Maudoux,  Abbe,  172,  173 
Maupeou,   Chancellor,   73,   79,   80, 

83,  84,  86,   89,  92,  95,  96,  97, 

114,  123,  125,  126,  137,  138,  141, 

145,  188,  206,  281 
Maupeou,  Madame,  142 
Maurepas,  Count  de,  72,  94,  206, 

209,  214 

Maurepas,  Countess  de,  277 
Maussabre,  270,  275,  320 
Mayrobert,    Pidansat    de,    "  loges 

de  Nantes  "  anecdote,  63 
"  Les  Anecdotes  sur  Madame 

la  Comtesse  Du  Barry,"  213 
Mazarin,  Duchess  de,  127,  139,  164, 

215 

Meilhan,  Senac  de,  33,  37 

Meister,  149,  164 

Melino,  314 

Mercy- Argenteau,  Count  de,  25, 
3°.  35,  79,  86,  89,  98,  101,  105- 
108,  no,  113,  118,  119,  120,  132, 

134,  !39,  14°,  !43,  152,  154,  159, 
167,  168,  216 

Mesdames  de  France  (see  Madame 
Adelaide,  Madame  Sophie  and 
Madame  Victoire) 

Mesmes,  Madame,  122 

Mesnil,  Mdlle  Du,  69 

Mativien,  190 


336 


INDEX 


Michodiere,  Mons  de  la,  258 

Millin,  Madame,  32 

Mirabeau,  247,  328 

Mirepoix,  Madame  de,  58,  63,  68, 

78,  80,  in,  117,  122,  127,  148, 

161,  184,  215,  222 
Mirza — the  white  greyhound,    188 
Mole,  202 

Moleville,  Bertrand  de,  284,  380 
Moncrif,  17,  300 
Montaigne,  185 
Montdidier,  Countess  de,  3 
Montesson,  Madame  de,  142,  228 
Monteynard,  Marquis  de,  90,  158 
Montmorency,  Baron  de,  112 
Montmorency,  Baroness  de,  31,  58, 

65,  82,  in,  127,  139,  184 
Montmorin,  263 
Montrabe,   Madame    (see   Madame 

Ran9on  de  Montrabe) 
Montvallier,  192,  208 
Monville,  Mons.  de,  12,  236 
Morande,  Thevenau  de,   108,   109, 

166 
Moreau,  the    Younger,    the  water 

colour  in  the  Louvre,  187,  188 
Morgan,  Colonel,  290 
Morin,  Denis,  188,  290,  299,  320,  327 
Morliere,  Chevalier  de  la,  17,  44 
Morphise  (see  O'Murphy  de  Balli- 

more),  24,  97 
Montemart,    Duchess  de,  271-273, 

279,  289,  304,  314,  315,  316,  320, 

321 

Moyon,  Countess  de,  43 
Murat,  Madame  du,  102 
Muy,  Count  de,  90 

NALLET,  21,  62,  102 

Narbonne,    Madame   de,    77,    119, 

153,  154 

Narbonne,  Mons.  de,  284,  305 
Nattier,  76,  156,  193 
Necker,  227,  240,  244,  249 
Nesle,  Marquis  de,  305 
Nestier,  Sieur,  129 
Neuvilla,  Madame  de,  243,  290 
Nieuwerkerke,    Madame    (Madame 

Pater),   169,  170 
Nivernais,  Diane  de,  112 
Nivemais,    Duke  de,  94,   96,   129, 

157,  202 

Noailles,  Count  de,  163,  170 
Noailles,  Countess  de,  147 
Nogaret,  Fran9ois,  128,  135 
Nokelle,  180 
Normand,  Le,  180 


O'MURPHY  DE  BALLIMORE]DE  Bois- 

FAILLY,  24,  97,  150 
Orleans,  Duke  d',  18,  96,  114,  141, 

142,  228 

Ossun,  Madame  d',  222 
Ostade,  Van,  196 

PAGELLE,   180 

Pajou,     ii,     109,    157,    187,     190, 

198 

Panis,  299 

Papal  Nuntio,  105,  106 
Paris,  Archbishop  of,  171 
Pascal,  185 

Pater,  Madame  (see  Nieuwerkerke) 
Paulina,    Madame   de   Mortemart, 

3M 

Pembroke,  Lord,  307 

Penthievre,  Duke  de,  47,  192 

Penthievre,  Mdlle.-  de,  35 

Perron,  306 

Pethion,  324 

Petion,  300 

Petitot,  portraits  by,  197,  258 

Peuchet,  306 

Peyre,  203 

Piedmont,  Prince  of,  148 

Pierre,  Mons.,  195,  196,  200 

Pilos,  Count  de,  231,  232 

Pitt,  259,  265,  285,  287-8,  307-8, 
319,  324 

Plays  at  Court,  40,  41,  50,  68,  69, 
82,  112,  113,  128,  138,  140,  144, 
145,  146,  157,  158,  160,  161 

Poelenbourg,  Cornells  Van,  196 

Poisson,  M.,  4 

Polignac,  Count  de,  128 

Polignac,  Countess  de,  69 

Pompadour,  Madame  de,  15,  37, 
40,  72,  103,  no,  122,  150,  163, 
176,  190 

Ponsinet,  41 

Pont,  Viscount  de,  306,  308,  320, 
322 

Pontgibaud,  231 

Ponthon,  Louise,  Countess  de,  224 

Pope,  the,  123 

Porte,  Madame  de  la,  290 

Poussin,  196 

Praslin,  37,  62,  95 

Preville,  146 

Pratry,  Mme.  Du  Barry's  adviser, 
298 

Prieur,  317 

Prioreau,  Mons.,  253 

Prisoners — conveyance  of  to  Ver- 
sailles, 276-7 


INDEX 


337 


Provence,    Comtesse   de,    99,    105, 

106,  no,  113 
Provence,  Count  de,  67,  119,  201, 

213,  215,    265 

QUEENSBERRY,  Duke  of  (see  March, 

Earl  of) 
Queen's   Necklace,    The,    233,    234, 

235 


oNTRABi  (AnneBecu), 

4,    I03,    I04,    I24,    125,    157,    212, 

238 

Rancon,  Sieur  Nicolas  de  Montrabe, 
4,  7,  16,  238 

Rancourt,  Mdlle.-,  143,  144,  145, 
202,  300 

Rena,  Countess  La,  18 

Rheims,  Archbishop  of,  68 

Rice,  222 

Richard,  Claude,  176 

Richelieu,  Duke  de,  i,  16,  17,  19, 
32,  33.  35,  39,  52,  55,  67,  73,  79, 
92,  105,  129,  130,  157,  159,  160, 
161,  163,  171,  172,  188,  201,  202, 

237 

Robbe,  17,  26 

Robert,  Hubert,  137,  193,  196,  252 
Roche-Aymon,  Cardinal  de  la,  205 
Roche-Fontenilles,  Gabrielle  de  la 

(Abbess     of     Pont-aux-Dames), 

196,  204,  209 
Rochefoucauld,    Cardinal     de     la, 

283,  306 

Rohan,  Prince  Charles,  291 
Rohan,  Cardinal  Prince  Louis  de, 

140,  233,  234,  235 
Rohan-Chabot,  Duke  de,  287,  291, 

297,  3°7>  3*3,  321 
Rohan-Rochefort,     Princess,     291, 

306,  314 

Roland,  Madame,  300,  301 
-  death  of,  310 
Romilly,  258 
Roue,  The    (see    Count    Jean    Du 

Barry) 

Rouen,  Bishop  of,  306,  307,  313 
Rouen,  Sieur,  256,  261,  288 
Roussel,   Madame,   301,   308,   319, 

323 

Rousseau,  Abbe,  167 
Rousseau,  Jacques,  carvings  by,  177 
Rousseau,  Jean  Jacques,  105,  240 
Ruette,  Madame  La,  145 

SAINT-ANDRE,  150,  151 
Saiut-Aubin,  188 


Sainte-Foy,  19 

Saint-Florentin,  Count  de,  22,  33, 

39,  53,  62 

Sainte-Phar,  Abb6  de,  284,  320 
Salaberry  de,  231 
Salanave,  the  favourite's  cook,  188, 

259,  293,  303,  318,  321 
Sardinian  Ambassador,  105,  106 
Sarrazin,    1 83 
Sauvage,   Jacques,  211 
Sauvigny,  149 
Saxe,  Maria  Josephe  de,  64 
Saxe,  Maurice  de,  174 
Saxony,  Dowager  Electress  of,  102 
Scheffer,   Count,   120 
"  Secret  Memoirs  of  a  Woman  of  the 

Town,"  166 
Seguier,  96 
Segur,  158 

Senlis,  Bishop  of,  172 
Seymour,  Henry,  224,  225,  226 
Sigly,  Madame,  84,  180 
Simon  and  Hankey,  Messrs.,  263 
Simon,  The  Jew,  288 
Sleigh,  Mons.,  288 
Solms,  Count  de,  131 
Sophie,    Madame,   sister    of   Louis 

XV.,  2,  30,  48,  67,  76,  77,   101, 

107,  no,  119,  123,  154,  171 
Soubise,  Prince  de,  39,  52,  99,  140, 

141,  150,  155,  156,  184 
Souza,  Countess  de,  236,  251 
Staal,  Baron  de,  292 
Stuart,     the,    connection    through 

the  Barrymores,  195 
Sturt,  Mrs.,  265 
Suard,  129 

TALLEYRAND,   MONS.   DE,   40,   86, 

90,  284 

Talmont,  Princess  de,  40,  65,  184 

Teniers,  196 

Terray,  Abbe,  47,  61,  66,  83,  86, 

91,  92,  103,  123,  126,  127,  206 
Thiard,  Count  de,  18 
Thuriot,  295 

Thurlow,  Lord,  307 

Tippoo  Sahib,  237 

Tonneau,  Countess  du,  58 

Toulouse,  Archbishop  of,  62 

Toulouse,  Countess  de,  47 

Tour,  Mons.  de  la,  292 

Tour,  Roettiers  de  la,  10,  127,  179, 

1 88 

Tour-du-Pin,  Chevalier  de  la,  49 
Tour-du-Pin,   Count   Louis    de  la, 

18 


INDEX 


Tour-du-Pin,  Marquis  Philippe   de 

la,  18,  151 
Tournehem,  4,  176 
Tournon,    Helene   de,    Viscountess 

Adolphe  Du  Barry  (see  Du  Barry) 
Tournon,  Sophie  de,  20,  206,  222 
Trinchard,  317 
Tripperat,  180,  189 
Trochereau,  Mons.,  288 
Tronchin,  57 
Trudaine,  Mons.  de,  137 
Turpin,  17 

VADIAR,  299 

Valentinois,    Duchess   de,    40,    58, 

65,    78,    82,   98,    105,    in,    113, 

184, 215 

Vallee,  La,  182 
Vallery,    La,    206,    292,    302,    306, 

320 

Valliere,  Duke  de  la,  202 
Valois,   Madame  de  la  Motte,   de 

234 
Van  Dyck,  portrait  of  Charles  I., 

195 

Vanloo,  Carle,  196 
Vandenyver,    263,    264,    287,    301, 

306,  314-318,  326,  327 
Vanot,  1 80 

Vares,  Joseph-Honor6  de,  212 
Vasse,  190,  200 
Vatel,  12 
Vauguyon,    Mons.    de  la,    32,    35, 

207 

Vaupaliere,  La,  322 
Verbeckt,    177 
Vernet,  193,  196 
Vestris,  146,  202 


Vestris,  the  younger,  140 
Victoire,  Madame,  2,  30,    48,  67, 
76,  77,  101,  107,  no,  119,  123, 

i54»  i?i 

Vien,  190,  191,  196,  198,  247 
Vigee  Le  Brun,  Madame,  n,   193, 

235-7.   248-9,   251-2,   305 
Vigier,    180 

Villarceaux,  Louis  du  Bois  de,  206 
Villars,  Duchess  de,  112 
Ville,  Abbe  de  la,  86,  87,  88 
Ville,   Baron  de,   191 
Villedeuil,  304 
Villeroy,  Duchess  de,  69,  82,  135, 

144 

Villers,  Madame  Cahiiet  de,  217-219 
Villon,  185 

Vintimille,  Madame  de,  150,  159 
Voisenon,  Abbe  de,  113,  114,  145 
Voltaire,  34,  49,  55,  96,  97,  126, 

136,   137,    148,  220,  221 

Vougny,  La,  305 
Voulland,  312,  314 
Vrilliere,  Duke  de  la,  83,  89,  105, 
I39>  157.  l84»  2o6.  209 

WAILLY,  DE,  203 

Walpole,    Horace,    7,    32,    53,    66, 

80,  100,  112,  121,  138,  199,  262 
Watteau,  193 
Whitshed-Keene,    Colonel    James, 

29°,  3°7 

Wielhorski,  Count,  131,  132 
Wurmser,  Baron  de,  48 
Wynants,  Jan,  196 

ZAMORE,  Louis  BENOIST,  130,  179, 
181,  182,  260,  293,  303,  318,  322 


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